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An Eye Doc with Occasional Writer's Block
Through his blog, e-mail newsletter and webstie, Dr. Gary Tracy keeps up business.
By Sarah Seltzer
When John Lennon wanted those signature granny-glasses fixed or changed, he headed to Dr. Gary Tracy's office, perhaps searching for that down-home experience that reminded him of his Liverpool youth.
Today, countless Upper West Siders do the same. Despite the onslaught of chain optometrists and eye-wear stores, there’s something comforting about going somewhere where everybody knows your name--even if it's just for new contact lenses.
Entering Tracy's office on Amsterdam Avenue, with its beige and gold tones and bunches of dried flowers, is like going into a cross between an upscale boutique, a doctor’s office and your run-of-the-mill optician's office (due to the glasses lining the wall.)
Tracy doesn’t accept managed care, so he can practice as he likes. "I like to explain and teach," he says. "I take 45 minutes per patient. People crave that."
But it's not easy competing with corporate behemoths. He's had to expand his business savvy to add to his cadre of loyal
customers, and has found the best way to do it: the world wide web. His site, which a customer and friend helped create, features news updates, a bio and, best of all, a blog filled with information and eye- care tips from Tracy himself. He also emails a newsletter to clients.
Writing the online content has been a boon--but it's also introduced Tracy to the phenomenon of writer's block. He says he often worries when it’s time for a new post, but gets his inspiration from current news, health trends, and questions he hears repeatedly from patients. For instance, back when there was a scandal involving infections from Bausch and Lomb contact lens products, Tracy was able to reassure his patients via email and give them tips.
This year, he's sent helpful info about new allergy medications on the market and techniques for cleaning lenses.
Tracy's home page tries to replicate the homey feeling of his practice. After all, he's been on the Upper West Side since the 1970s, when he was a new graduate struggling to be a dutiful worker. It didn't work that well. "I was not the best employee in the world," he says, adding that he was frequently getting fired or quitting jobs.
So he decided to open up shop for himself, with a five-year lease on Columbus Avenue and the chance to be John Lennon's optometrist and the neighborhood fixture he still is. After the lease was up, he moved to Amsterdam, where he is now, with a more supportive landlord who had a "sense of community."
Tracy continues to serve that community and bring it industry innovations like bifocal contact lenses and specialty bike, swim
and motorcycle goggles (particularly great for the sporty Upper West Side). To add to his base of customers, he's worked with local businesses like the JCC and Equinox. And he still gets the odd celebrity or two--but his assistants often have to tell him who they are.
Since that day he took a gamble opening his own shop, he's never looked back. Of his friends and colleagues from when he
was younger, Tracy says, "I was probably the least likely to stay in New York."
Our Town/West Side Spirit, April 26, 2007 | p. 24
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