It was 1977 - one garage, two visionaries, six frames. Alan Shapiro was the quintessential traveling salesman and Cynthia Shapiro took care of the rest of the business, including caring for their infant son, Scott. Thanks in equal parts to their determination to succeed and the many friendships they made in the process, Europa Eyewear continued to grow, and the Shapiro family blossomed into the Europa Family as Al and Cyn brought on their first hires (many of whom remain with the company to this day). As Alan Shapiro always said, "We don't have employees, we have families for whom we're responsible."

Over the past 40 plus years, the Europa Family has continued to grow, but the principles on which we were founded have not changed. Support independence. Help our customers grow their business – that’s how we grow. Build friendships, not contacts. It’s incredible to think that those original six frames were the seeds for our eleven independent eyewear brands and our first-of-its-kind American eyewear factory. Our favorite part of ‘Our Story’ is that it is still being written, and that’s thanks to you and your support!