MADE IN LUBBOCK
The Story Behind Arbor Eyewear
Music legend Buddy Holly is known not only for his hits like That’ll Be the Day and Peggy Sue, but for his thick, horn-rimmed glasses, too. You may be surprised to learn that Holly’s hometown is now one of just four companies producing all American-made eyewear frames at scale.
Equipped with precision machinery and skilled hands, Arbor Eyewear is turning raw materials into handcrafted frames worn across the country right here in Lubbock.
Rick Taylor launched Arbor Eyewear in 2017 with five frame designs and a vision to build a brand around quality craftsmanship and meaningful impact. What started as a small collection has since grown into a nationally distributed eyewear brand with deep West Texas roots.
From Global Travel to Local Manufacturing
When the company first started out, producing eyewear meant looking overseas. Taylor traveled across China, Japan and Italy, studying how glasses were made and figuring out if this industry was the right fit. Those trips quickly became part of the rhythm of the business.
“I was gone two weeks every quarter,” Taylor recalled. “Every time I was sitting on a 17-hour flight to Hong Kong, I kept thinking, ‘How nice would it be to do this here instead of traveling halfway around the world?’”
That idea began to take shape in 2020. With optometry offices temporarily closed due to COVID-19, Taylor suddenly had time to rethink the company’s long-term strategy. He went to Italy for training on eyewear manufacturing equipment and began exploring what it would take to bring that technology back to Lubbock. By the end of the year, equipment was coming in, and an empty facility was being turned into a working production space that’s now one of four companies producing all American-made eyewear frames at scale.
How Eyewear Frames Are Made
The glasses-making process begins with sheets of cellulose acetate, a cotton-based material widely used for premium eyewear, arriving from Japan and Italy. The large, colorful sheets are then cut into slabs, milled with CNC machines and shaped into frame fronts before hours of finishing and polishing.
The result is a product designed to last because, as Taylor often reminds his team, eyewear is something people rely on every day.
“People wear their glasses 12 hours a day for years,” he said. “There’s almost no product, other than maybe your phone, that you use that consistently, so quality really matters.”
Why Lubbock Works for Manufacturing
The company sells frames in optical shops in nearly every state, with particularly strong demand among retailers looking for American-made products. Because eyewear manufacturing in the United States is so rare, many customers are surprised to learn the frames are produced in West Texas.
“It’s fun to tell people we’re from Lubbock,” Taylor said. “In the early days, people would ask where that was. Now, more and more people know it, and they’re excited to see businesses growing here.”
Lubbock has proven to be an ideal place to grow the company. The city’s central location allows Arbor Eyewear to efficiently ship to customers on both coasts. While the logistics have been important to building the business, Taylor said the people have been, too.
Arbor Eyewear has built a dedicated team in Lubbock. Employees are trained to operate specialized machinery, work with digital CAD design software and learn the technical aspects of eyewear manufacturing.
“We’ve found great employees here, people who want to stay, learn, and build something with us,” Taylor explained.
Holding onto Lubbock Roots
While the business reaches far and wide, the manufacturer hangs onto its Lubbock roots. Holly’s famous frames have returned to the Hub City and can be seen at the Buddy Holly Center. However, Arbor Eyewear has its own pair, the Holly model, that gives a nod to the Lubbock legend, too.
Inside Arbor Eyewear: A Few Fun Facts
Beyond the craftsmanship and manufacturing process, there are a few unique details that make Arbor Eyewear stand out.
Arbor Eyewear is also built around a mission of giving back.
When Taylor and his wife adopted their daughter, they decided to incorporate that experience into the company’s purpose. Through Arbor’s “Tree + Three” program, the company plants a tree for every frame sold and donates three percent of sales to organizations that support adoption
Frame names are inspired by nature and Texas.
Arbor’s acetate frames are named after trees, while metal frames are named after rivers. Another collection draws inspiration from cities across Texas.
The best-selling frame is named after a Texas town.
One of the company’s most popular frames is called Katy, named after Katy, Texas.
Taylor still wears one of the very first frames created.
A style called Aspen was among the company’s earliest designs and remains one of his personal favorites.
Other favorite frames include Green and Post.
Both are named after Texas towns and are part of Taylor’s regular rotation.
A Lubbock frame is still waiting to happen.
Despite being headquartered in the city, the company hasn’t yet released a frame named “Lubbock.” Taylor says he’s waiting until the perfect design comes along.
Even the colors have names.
Every frame color and material combination gets its own name, adding another layer of creativity to the design process.