Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jonathan Brimer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jonathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

Scaling for us has been much more about consistency than any single breakthrough moment. From the outside, it can look like growth happened quickly, but in reality it’s been the result of years of disciplined execution and a clear focus on what we do well.

From the beginning, the vision was centered around gifting and experience. My background in hospitality and hotel sales, combined with my partner’s deep retail experience, led to a shared idea: create a more thoughtful, elevated approach to eyewear gifting. The retail stores came later as a way to support and strengthen that vision, not the other way around.

As we built out our retail presence, the goal was never to be a typical sunglass store. We focused on creating an environment that felt engaging and approachable, where customers could explore different styles without pressure and find something that fit their look and their budget. We emphasized a broad assortment of designer and value-driven eyewear, while also incorporating elements of the local community, including regional brands when it made sense. That retail foundation became an important extension of the brand and a way to stay closely connected to the customer.

At the same time, we were continuously developing the experiential side of the business. What started as a core idea evolved into a structured offering that includes on-site eyewear gifting, corporate gifting programs, and brand activations. Today, we operate nationally, bringing a boutique-style experience directly to corporate events and client engagements. That combination of hospitality, retail discipline, and curated product is what sets us apart in the corporate gifting and experiential marketing space.

From a tactical standpoint, a few things have mattered most. Strong vendor relationships have been critical in giving us access to a wide range of designer eyewear brands. Operational discipline has allowed us to scale across multiple markets while maintaining consistency in merchandising, inventory, and training. And throughout it all, we’ve stayed focused on the experience. Whether it’s in one of our stores or at a large-scale event, the goal is always the same: make it feel personal, seamless, and memorable.

There have been plenty of challenges along the way. Both retail and events come with their own complexities, from seasonality and inventory risk to logistics and execution at scale. As we grew, one of the biggest shifts was learning how to build a team that can operate at a high level without constant oversight. That transition is ongoing, but it has been essential to sustaining growth.

If there’s a common thread, it’s that scale came from clarity. We stayed anchored in the idea of experiential gifting and built the business outward from there. Retail, operations, and brand partnerships all evolved to support that core. That focus is what has allowed us to grow in a way that is both intentional and adaptable.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m the co-founder of Select Shades and Select Shades Eyewear Events. My background is in hospitality and hotel sales, which shaped how I think about service, experience, and what it means to create something that feels both seamless and memorable. My business partner comes from a deep retail background, and bringing those two perspectives together is really what defined the direction of the company early on.

From the beginning, our focus has been on creating a more thoughtful approach to eyewear gifting. We saw an opportunity to take something that is typically transactional and turn it into an experience. That idea became the foundation for our experiential gifting business, where we provide on-site eyewear experiences, corporate gifting programs, and brand activations for companies across the country. Instead of sending a standard gift, our clients are able to offer something interactive, personal, and memorable.

Our retail stores evolved as a way to support and strengthen that core business. We operate sunglass boutiques in outlet centers and other retail environments, with a focus on creating a space that feels approachable, engaging, and service-driven. We carry a wide range of designer eyewear and value-driven options so customers can explore different styles without feeling pressured or limited by price. We also try to reflect the local market in each store, incorporating regional brands and maintaining a sense of connection to the community.

What sets us apart is the combination of hospitality, retail discipline, and operational scale. We’re able to deliver a boutique-style experience, whether it’s in one of our stores or at a large corporate event, while also operating nationally with access to more than 60 eyewear brands. That balance between personalization and scale is not easy to achieve, and it’s something we’ve spent years refining.

At a practical level, we help solve a few key problems for our clients. In the corporate gifting and events space, companies are often looking for something that stands out and actually resonates with their audience. We provide a turnkey solution that is easy to execute but feels elevated and intentional. For retail customers, we aim to simplify the process of finding the right pair of sunglasses by offering strong product knowledge, honest guidance, and a well-curated assortment.

What I’m most proud of is the team and the consistency of the experience we’ve been able to build. Whether someone interacts with us in a store or at an event, there’s a level of care and attention that carries through. That doesn’t happen by accident, and it’s something we’ve worked hard to develop over time.

More than anything, I want people to understand that we’re not just selling sunglasses. We’re creating experiences around them. The product matters, but the way it’s delivered is what people remember.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think our reputation has been built more on consistency than anything else. In both retail and experiential work, people remember how something felt, and whether it matched what was promised. Over time, delivering that consistently is what builds trust.

Early on, we focused heavily on the experience. Coming from a hospitality background, I’ve always believed that the details matter. How someone is greeted, how product is presented, how easy the process feels. Those things carry just as much weight as the product itself. Whether it’s a customer walking into one of our stores or a guest attending a corporate event, the goal has always been to make the experience feel intentional and well executed.

Another big factor has been reliability. In the corporate gifting and events space especially, there’s very little room for error. Clients are trusting you to show up and deliver at a high level, often in front of their own teams or customers. Being consistent in execution, prepared operationally, and responsive throughout the process has gone a long way in building long-term relationships.

Our vendor relationships have also played a role. Having strong partnerships with a wide range of eyewear brands allows us to offer a curated but flexible assortment, which helps us stay relevant across different audiences and markets. That consistency in product quality reinforces the overall brand.

I also think we’ve benefited from staying focused on what we actually do well. We haven’t tried to be everything to everyone. We’ve built around the idea of experiential eyewear and gifting, and that clarity has made it easier for people to understand what we offer and refer us to others.

At the end of the day, reputation is earned over time. It’s the result of a lot of small interactions going well, not one big moment. We’ve been fortunate to work with great clients and teams, and we’ve tried to approach every interaction in a way that reflects the kind of business we want to be.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My co-founder and I came together in a pretty organic way through a mix of friendship, timing, and a shared belief in an opportunity that didn’t fully exist yet.

I was working at Marriott at the time and had become close friends with Kristen, who would later marry my business partner. When she transitioned out of hospitality into optical sales, she met Jason, who was serving as a VP of Operations for a regional sunglass retail chain. Through a connection tied to that business, a client asked if they could bring a variety of sunglasses to a company’s annual incentive event. It was a very rough version of what we do today, but it worked. The experience resonated, and it sparked the idea that there might be something more there.

At the time, the focus of that company was still firmly on retail, and there wasn’t much appetite to pursue a new direction. Eventually, the owner agreed to explore the gifting side of the business, but only if someone else came in to build it. Jason and Kristen reached out to me and asked if I would consider leaving Marriott to help establish what would become Select Shades as a gifting division.

Before making a decision, they invited me to see the concept in action at one of their events. It took place at the One&Only Palmilla in Cabo, and it was the first time I saw the full picture come together. The setting, the interaction, the response from the guests, it all clicked. Coming from a hospitality background, I understood the value of experience, and I could see how this could scale into something much larger. That was the moment I knew it was worth taking the leap.

I left Marriott and joined to build out the gifting side of the business. About a year and a half later, the parent company was sold, and Jason and I made the decision to continue building Select Shades on our own. We expanded it into a standalone company and began developing both the experiential gifting platform and our own retail stores.

A big part of why that decision felt so natural was the partnership itself. Jason brings an incredible work ethic, a deep understanding of vendor relationships, and a strong instinct for product and strategy. I come from a service and experience-driven background. Those skill sets complement each other well, but just as important, we were friends first. There’s a shared perspective around travel, experiences, and how we want the business to feel, which has made working together both productive and genuinely enjoyable.

We’ve been building the business together for over a decade now, and that foundation of trust and alignment has been one of the most important factors in everything we’ve done since. Select Shades has never been about one person. Jason brings an unmatched level of drive and execution, and that has been foundational to everything we’ve built.

Contact Info:

• Website: select-shades.com & selectshadesevents.com
• Instagram: @selectshades & @selectshadesevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/select-shades-llc

Image Credits

Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta