An independent optician on Thompson Street since 2007. First as Silver Lining Opticians, now as Whitney Sacher. A family business, open every day, and the place with the pool table.
A good tailor doesn't sell you a suit; they make the suit fit you. We think about glasses the same way. We choose frames one by one from makers we know, specify lenses for how you see and live, and fit every pair by hand.
It takes longer. It's meant to.
It's also a place to spend some time. People drop in to say hi, have a coffee, or sit around the pool table for a while. We're a family business, and we're here every day.
2007
Erik Sacher co-founds Silver Lining Opticians in SoHo.
2014
Silver Lining is recognized by INVISION among America's Finest Optical Retailers.
2026
Guy Whitney becomes a partner and the shop takes the name of the two people behind it.
Licensed optician · Co-founder
Erik is a licensed optician and co-founded Silver Lining Opticians on Thompson Street in 2007. For nearly two decades he has fitted New Yorkers with frames chosen one by one and lenses made to measure.
He is also a Notary Public and fortune teller.
Partner
Guy has been part of the shop for years and became a partner when Silver Lining became Whitney Sacher in 2026.
Gus Solomons and I met in a Scene Study class around 2013. We got paired to do the Chinese restaurant scene in Glengarry Glen Ross.
We ended up becoming very close friends and I learned a lot from him just by watching him move through the city. Here was this legendary modern dancer in his late 70's with his knees and hips totally shot from the toll that career takes on the body, just refusing to stop.
We would meet at the Joyce Theater in Chelsea to see a show on a cold rainy night and he would arrive on a bicycle! He rode a bike everywhere because just walking across a room was difficult for him. But he was up for anything at any time.
He was completely unattached to comfort and ease. He wasn't the guy who cancels because it's raining. He and Nolan Richardson are the toughest men I ever knew personally.
I moved to NYC in 2003. There is no way I'm still here if I'd never met Gus. I loved him.
We keep his image up as a constant reminder to quit bitchin' and get on with it. He is our logo.
Looking for Silver Lining Opticians? You've found us. About the new name