Our Story

TOWER OPTICAL INC. ** THEN AND NOW ** 1956-PRESENT

    Nicholas Paunovich (our father and grandfather) purchased Tower Jewelers in September of 1956. At the time he was working in the optical industry, but had prior training working with watches and precious stones so he decided it would be a lucrative move to sell watches, jewelry, and glasses, thus the name Tower Jewelers and Opticians.

     The business opened on 27th and Wells, a block away from the former Tower Movie Theatre. Back then this was a popular local destination just at the edge of downtown. The area included a record store, shoe repair shop, bowling alley, Ben Franklin dime store, upscale men’s clothing boutique, drug store with a lunch counter and soda fountain, doctor and lawyer offices, cafes, and 2 other jewelry stores with many of the businesses incorporating "Tower" into their name.

Through the years Tower has grown dramatically, due to the fact we have always adjusted to the winds of industry and economic changes, we always have listened to our customers, and we have worked together as a family. We now have 3rd generation opticians and staff. We continually educate our entire staff with updates of new lens technologies, contact lens advancements, and fashion enabling us to bring you the most incredible eyewear available.

Our staff of 9 includes 6 family members. We have 2 opticians with decades of experience, 1 optician with over 10 years of experience, 2 other opticians with 4 years experience (one also has a marketing degree), 2 board certified optometrists, and 3 receptionist/contact lens technicians, 2 of them with Tower Optical for 10 years. We still have a couple of former staffers that still come to help out when we’re extremely busy.

As you see, we have very solid roots in Milwaukee, and we have many, many loyal customers that continue to purchase from us long after they have moved across town or even out of state. Our current location is nearly 3000 square feet and offers a full service optical providing comprehensive eye exams, just about any contact lens available, and undeniably the most diverse collection of designer, luxury, and budget eyewear and sunwear (prescription and non-prescription) in the state.

Don't just believe what you hear, believe what you see. Browse through the rest of our website and get a preview of the designer and luxury eyewear, sunwear and contact lenses we carry and the services we offer. You make the decision. Better yet, we welcome you to stop in. You’ll find our staff very friendly, competent, and willing to bend over backwards twice to offer you the best service possible and answer all of your questions.