An optician who has served and styled some of Liverpool's most famous eyes is celebrating 50 years at his city centre practice.
Ian Silverberg's journey into optics began as soon as he turned 13 in April 1972, when his dad Harold, who established Silverberg Opticians in 1957, told him he would start working in the family business on Saturdays. The deal being that he would work for his dad on a Saturday, but then could go to the Liverpool match in the afternoon.
Now 63, Ian has maintained Silverberg Opticians' reputation as one of the most respected practices in the city from its current location on Whitechapel, near the Met Quarter.
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The firm's link with LFC would continue, as Ian served several of the first team of the 1980s and 1990s. His parents were invited to Kevin Keegan's wedding, as the Liverpool legend’s wife Jean used to work at the practice in the 1970s.
Ian said: "John Barnes was always in and out, so he brought the rest of the team with him. Many of that team, that still live locally, come in for their eye exams to this day."
Pride of place in the practice is Ian's VIP photo wall, which displays some more of the most famous faces to walk through Silverberg's doors over the years, including Elvis Costello, Kim Cattrall and Samuel L. Jackson. But his core patients have always been his focus throughout his 50 years at the business.
Ian said: "Some of my patients I see now were coming since they were 12, and now they're bringing in their kids who are 15 and 16. It makes me feel very old. I think they keep coming back because they feel like a part of the practice.
"When they come in, we chat to them, have a coffee and a contact lens check-up. We talk about their families, our families; they're definitely more like friends."
The challenges of being an independent in a city centre are clear, but Ian said his "specialisms" are what differentiates him from the rest, from his contact lens expertise in Orthokeratology, gas permeable lenses and, more recently, myopia management. The past two years, according to Ian, have been the 'strangest' of his 50 years.
Opticians had to close their doors for the first few months of the pandemic, but Ian still provided care for those who needed it, keeping in touch with patients on the phone and even hand delivering contact lenses and specs to the doors of his patients across the area. Silverberg also donated 100 spare PPE visors, which had been reserved for the practice's emergency appointments, to Arrowe Park and Royal Liverpool University Hospital, along with £40 vouchers to NHS staff in April 2020.
But despite the challenges of the past two years, in addition to the other 48, Ian has no plans to retire, according to his business partner, and fourth son, Colin Dorricott.
Colin joined the practice 11 years ago as an optical assistant and is now Ian's co-director. Colin said: "He'll be here for as long as he can because he does have a genuine enjoyment for it, it's just as much as a hobby for him as it is a job.
"He may be in his 60s but his passion is still there, he's in every morning at 7am, and by midday he’ll tell you that he's done his 10k steps, marching about doing everything. He's still passionate about eyewear, loves looking at different styles and he's like a little kid for it."
The family atmosphere means, as he passes his half century in optics, Ian's passion for work has not diminished, he said: "I've always loved it, and I still look forward to coming in every day. Even the tougher moments, I've always enjoyed those challenges, whether that be the pandemic or even just at Christmas times on the high street.
"But I wouldn't move anywhere else, I love it here. Liverpool's the greatest city in the world. Colin's getting more and more involved, but I'll still be here. That's the future of the practice and it's going to keep going from strength to strength."
