in the beginning this was not the focus of warby parker. so, they sort of did it on the fly, inviting people over to neil's apartment and laying frames out on the dining room table. today, things are much different. with a solid success story and funding warby parker expanded to 15 brick and mortar stores. the crown jewel is their 2,000 square foot flagship store on one of the most coveted blocks in new york city, calling it just a store, though, does not do it justice. the two founders who are still running the company neil and dave, decided that if they were going to move into brick and mortar they were going to do it in their own style. that's meant throwing some of the traditional thoughts of retail out the window. warby parker short but vibrant history is front and center and coveted shelf space is giving to showcase books from independent publishers. >> traditional retailers walk in and like neil, you're crazy. what are you doing wasting all of this selling space. we don't look at it on a square foot basis like that. it's sort of what

and warby parker disrupts the eyeglass industry. lessons you can profit from coming up next on "your business." >>> american express open can help you take on a new job. or fill a big order. or expand your office. for those who constantly find new ways to grow on every step of the journey, american express open proudly presented "your business" on msnbc. >>> hi, everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg. when you're launching your company, you typically get the chance to build your brand from the ground up. there's some flexibility when you're new to the market. if you opt to buy someone else's business, you inherit everything else that comes with it. one entrepreneur decided a name change was called for when he took over a golf course. he immediately knew the best way to attract new customers was to give it a new identity. >> it's a tight rope to walk along. it is nice to have a true identity that can be recognized. >> it's a business milestone that was six years in the making. 3 lakes golf course in pennsylvania is finally a brand of its own. >>

and warby parker continues to grow business by disrupting the eye glass industry. lessons you can profit from coming up next on "your business." >> american express open can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order, or expand your office. for those who constantly find new ways to grow on every step of the journey american

and warby parker disrupts the eyeglass industry.ons you can profit from coming up next on "your business." >>> american express open can help you take on a new job. or fill a big order. or expand your office.

reporter: cornell university's chris marques has written about how companies like tom's shoes and warby parkerith its eyewear have addressed symptoms without actually solving any problems. raising awareness is a plus, but to be successful the cause has to resonate with consumers and the price point has to make sense for the company. >> there's a lot of research that shows that younger consumers actually want to give back, they want to have some sort of social impact, so i think actually this market will continue to grow. >> the first thing we need to do is make her a yoobi -- >> reporter: yoobi also helps teachers like camino nuevo's maria cortez, who spends a lot of her own money on her students. >> over 1,000 a year. for them what it means is they are valued. right? like our classroom is valued, our school is valued, their work is valued. and i tell them they are the leaders of the future. and yoobi is really supporting that for our children. >> reporter: after all, it's keachers like cortez and ido leffler's mom who can inspire students to put themselves into the equation when it comes to s

. >> reporter: so a partnership was born between community schools and the eyeglass company warby parker to give free eye exams and glasses to up to 20,000 students. the earlier doctors catch issues, the better. bobby hall is in 7th grade. >> even if we don't wear glasses, we don't want to exactly accept that we have problems because kids get made fun of. if you have vision screening, get test fire department you have eye problems and take care of it. >> with cool and stylish glasses now they're able to wear the glasses and feel confident and boost their self-esteem and be ready to engage in the learning process. >> reporter: these community schools focus on fixing social and in some cases medical problems that affect grades. no question with good vision everything improves. learning, self-esteem and report cards. the free eye exams and glasses which combined could have cost more than $300 per student are on tap for 20,000 kids in 130 new york city schools. amira in 8th grade says the extra care sure makes a difference. >> when i came here i was really quiet and shy and now it's helped m