Romie Dhaliwal, OD, never imagined she would co-own a legacy optical business in her hometown, but stepping out of her comfort zone proved transformative. Dr. Dhaliwal and her business partner, optician Arshdeep Manghera, are writing the next chapter for Academy Optical—a fixture in Winnipeg for 30 years. Under their stewardship, this iconic store has transitioned from a retail-only optical to a full-service optometry clinic, bringing both change and continuity to the community.
Academy Optical was founded by Rhonda Gordon, one of the first female opticians in the area. For nearly half a century, Gordon built a loyal clientele, cultivating relationships that became the cornerstone of the business. When Dr. Dhaliwal and Manghera took over in the summer, they honored Gordon with a retirement celebration that marked her 49th year in practice. She now works one day a week, easing the transition and offering invaluable insights into the patient base she knows so well.
“I started working with the owners last December to get to know their clientele and connect with the neighborhood,” Dr. Dhaliwal explains. “The big change we brought was introducing eye exams, which they’d never offered affiliated with the business. Rhonda also didn’t do contacts, but we’ve added that too. Starting next year, we’re expanding into dry eye care.”
A YEAR OF RAPID CHANGE
Leaving the practice where she had been working for 14 years wasn’t easy. One of the partners was a female OD she had shadowed in high school and who wrote her recommendation letters to Illinois College of Optometry.
She was in the middle of her hour-long commute to that practice location one day and got a phone call from Manghera, whom she had worked with about a decade ago. He asked her if she’d be interested in co-owning the business. From then on, the idea of being an owner and working closer to home became more attractive.
She was six months pregnant at the time of that phone call with Manghera. Being the mom of two young children and working an hour away “was eating at me. I could be using those hours to be home with my family.”
Even so, it was daunting. “I’d only ever worked in one place, so the idea of doing something different was frightening and exhilarating all at once,” she admits. “But I’m glad I ripped the bandage off. I may have been content before, but I wasn’t growing. In the past year, I’ve grown so much.”
REDESIGNING THE SPACE
Because the office never offered optometric services, the pair needed to redesign. They wanted to keep the 1,100-square-foot optical as it was, but there had been a storage space and lunchroom. They converted these to a pretest space and exam lane, respectively. “It’s been exciting to reshape the space while preserving its legacy,” she says.
Settling into a smaller, more intimate practice has been a refreshing change. “It’s so different,” she says. “I’m seeing such a diverse patient base—everyone from politicians and professors to artists from the Winnipeg Symphony.” Former patients from her previous practice even make the reverse commute to see her, a testament to the relationships she’s built.
“At my old job, it was so big that I wasn’t connected to the optical at all,” Dr. Dhaliwal reflects. “Here, I’m involved in every aspect of the optical. I hear everything—the complaints, the wins. If someone needs a recheck, I can handle it on the spot. It’s so intimate and homey.”
Dr. Dhaliwal’s commitment to the community runs deep. “I love the Academy Road, the street I’m on,” she says. “I support local businesses, drink and eat local, and even wear local. Being part of this neighborhood feels right.” The fact that 150 people, including local dignitaries and a radio station, came to the grand reopening of Academy Optical in mid-November also shows that the community is glad to have the business here.
As she looks ahead, Dr. Dhaliwal is eager to continue building on Academy Optical’s legacy, combining its rich history with modern optometry. Repotting herself for this new career direction was not easy. But she says she’s convinced that she’s working on more fertile ground for herself and her family.
Read other stories on WO about women in independent practices.
