A Modern Practice Built on Sisterhood

March 7, 2025

Rachel Hart, OD, and her sister, Allison Hart, have always been close—so close, in fact, that when it came time to open a cold start practice, Dr. Hart knew Allison would make the perfect partner. “I trust Allison with my life,” Dr. Hart says.

ENTERING THE EYE CARE SPACE

Dr. Hart—older than Allison by two years—found a full-time position in an ophthalmology practice after her 2022 graduation from Southern College of Optometry. Allison had just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in communications from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and needed full-time employment while she looked for a job in advertising.

After a few years at the medical practice. Dr. Hart felt the demands of seeing the high volume of patients left little room for the personalized care she wanted to provide. Allison also wanted to focus more on her communications background. Then one day, the sisters noticed an area of opportunity in Medina, Tennessee, their small town of 5,500 people—there were no other optometrists within the city lines.

FROM DIRT FLOORS TO DREAM DESIGN

It was on a normal weekend drive with her mom that Dr. Hart found the future space of Hart Eyes. They found a new construction plaza built to hold five businesses with dirt floors and immediate occupancy. The next day, Dr. Hart turned in her 90-day notice and signed the lease. Allison—a graphic design connoisseur—drew up a blueprint on Arcsite, and the self-proclaimed “type A sisters” started looking for design inspiration online.

Looking at eye care practice designs on Pinterest and womeninoptometry.com, they settled on a modern design with green and gold accents. The 1,500-square-foot space now features three exam lanes, the optical space and an on-site lab, with plans to incorporate lens edging services in the future. The optical can hold up to 550 frames and offers an array of brands including Kate Spade, Ray-Ban, Michael Kors, Oakley, Vogue, Tory Burch and KLiiK petite frames.

Most furniture in the practice are affordable yet durable options from Amazon, Dr. Hart says, including all the light fixtures, mirrors and brown faux leather chairs. Stretching the budget within the space allowed for a few splurges: textured wallpaper in the restroom and a quartz countertop on the front desk.

A local woodshop owner made the front desk and the optical shelves custom for the space, and all the cabinets were made by their landlord/contractor. Wood beams were also cut, stained and installed behind the front desk to create a standout feature wall that spans the height of the 9.5′ ceilings.

The practice is fully equipped with a Topcon package from Vision Source, including an autorefractor and digital phoropter, the Zeiss optical coherence tomography unit and an Optos Daytona retinal imaging device.

MAKING A LOCAL MARK

Allison started posting on the practice’s Instagram, @harteyesmedina, a few months before opening day. Their page includes “frame hauls,” a walkthrough of the practice, information on different vision problems, promotional giveaway drawings, how to book an exam in 30 seconds, sketches inspired by “The Office” series and their design process from construction to opening day.

The duo also made a commercial with their local news station and have made presentations at the local Lions Club and Rotary Club to emphasize the importance of eye exams.

But at the end of the day, Dr. Hart says their success is all thanks to their families and her fiancé, Nick. “Our family has supported us throughout this journey, through all the ups, downs and doubts. They give us the courage to push forward every day.”