When the team behind a long-established Northeast Florida optometry practice decided to open a second location, the goal was bigger than simply adding another set of exam lanes. For Jenifer Presnick, OD, the new Bradford Eye Center location in Lake Asbury was a chance to modernize, expand access and create a patient experience that feels more open, more casual and more contemporary.
The practice’s original office in Starke has served the community for nearly 30 years. But after years of growing demand, Dr. Presnick says the timing was right to take the next step. The practice was getting busier. Dr. Presnick, who joined the practice as an associate in July 2022, became a partner in July 2025. She joined Michael Schlofman, OD, who purchased the practice from his father, the founder, Leonard Schlofman, OD.
RELIEF FOR CROWDED SCHEDULE
The practice schedule was booked out about two months, and the entire region was underserved. The new office, about a 30-minute drive away, gives the practice room to spread out patient demand and shorten waits. Dr. Presnick says the addition has already helped reduce the schedule backlog. It effectively brought the wait time down by a month already.
The new office is open just two days a week right now, but Dr. Schlofman and Dr. Presnick are hoping that they can find another OD who can help them build up the second location. It has two lanes equipped and the space to add at least two more lanes.
Plus, the new area around Lake Asbury is booming. “The second office gives the practice an early foothold in a community that is changing fast,” she says. There are no independent practices between the two locations, so the two locations fill an access need for patients in a larger territory. “We think we got in right at the perfect time,” Dr. Presnick says.
MODERN, COMFORTABLE SPACE
The new office was designed to feel different from a traditional medical setting. While it remains a clean, professional optometry practice, Dr. Presnick says the doctors wanted the atmosphere to feel more casual, modern and inviting.
“We wanted it to feel different and just more comfortable for patients.”
That meant moving away from a standard waiting room feel and toward a space that feels more like a boutique. Dr. Presnick says she wanted patients to feel relaxed while still confident they were receiving high-quality care. The team also wanted the space to support optical dispensing, with frame choices that range from higher-end to more budget-friendly displayed in an airy, bright optical.
The look and feel were important, but so was the function. The new office is outfitted with the same core diagnostic technology as the original location, so patients can receive the same level of care in either setting.
A FRESH START
Part of what makes the second location appealing is its place in a community on the rise. Dr. Presnick says the area around the office is expected to add thousands of homes, and the growth is already visible. A new Publix has even been announced nearby, a sign that the area is becoming a fuller community center.
That growth creates opportunity for the practice, but it also reinforces why the new office matters. The Lake Asbury office gives patients a shorter trip and more convenient access to care. And it helps solidify the foundation that the practice is built on. More than an expansion, the second location is a kind of reset: a chance to build a practice that reflects where the practice and the community are headed.
| GET THE LOOK
The serene palette at Bradford Eye Center comes through this combination: Drift of Mist by Sherwin Williams, used on walls, doors and trim Wordly Gray by Sherwin Williams, used on accent walls with shelving |
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