The Sunglass Hut is not just another small kiosk in your local shopping mall. It is actually an international company currently based in Italy and part of the Luxottica Group. That company is the world’s largest eye-wear company.

The first Sunglass Hut was founded in the Dadeland Mall in Miami, Florida by a local optometrist named Stanford L. Ziff. The year was 1971, and by 1986, Dr. Ziff and his “little” idea were pulling in more than 24 million dollars per year with 100 Sunglass Huts across the country. Ten years later, in 1996, the company expanded slightly and started selling watches in stores called the Watch Station or Watch World. In some areas, the Sunglass Hut and the watch stores were combined with one another.

Today, there are more than 2,000 Sunglass Hut stores around the world with more than 1,500 of them in North America alone. In addition to the branded stores, there is a partnership to sell these items at some Macy’s locations.

The Sunglass Hut has continued to grow and change over the years. In 2009, the company tried to capture some of the higher end, designer flavor and partnered with Prada for a one week only, limited run concept store. In that same year, the store launched a whole new idea in shopping and social media experiences by adding photo booths they labeled “Social Sun” to some of the stores. In these booths, customers could take photos of themselves in various glasses and then could email or text the photos to friends and family for instant, long distance input on the choices they were considering.

To further help customers make the right choice for their sunglass needs, the Sunglass Hut offers charts that show which glasses work best with which facial shapes and sizes and offers free sizing and other services so that your sunglasses not only look great but fit perfectly. A well-fitted pair of sunglasses is about more than just appearance, however. Improperly fitting sunglasses may not provide enough protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

The Sunglass Hut: The Brands

The Sunglass Hut features some of the most prized eyewear brands from top designers in its stores. From fashion eyewear to functional goggles, here are some of the brands you will find when you shop here:

Arnette
Versace
Giorgio Armani
BVLGARI
Coach
Dolce and Gabbana
Emporio Armani
Smith Optics Goggles
Gargoyles
Michael Kors
Gucci
Guess
House of Harlow
Vonzipper Goggles
John Varvatos
Lanvin
Ralph Lauren
Maui Jim
Miu Miu
Tory Burch
Oakley Women’s
Arnette Goggles
Oakley Goggles
Persol
Pivothead
Polo Ralph Lauren
Prada
Spy Goggles
DKNY
Prada Linea Rossa
Ralph
Ray-ban
Burberry
Ray-ban Jr.
Revo
Smith Optics
Oakley
Spy
Tag Heuer
Tiffany and Co.
Tom Ford
Vogue Eyewear
Vonzipper
Zegna

The Sunglass Hut and Sunglass Hut/Watch World Outlet Stores

In the United States, there are nearly 150 of the Sunglass Hut, Sunglass Hut/Watch World combo stores. Many of these stores are either full sized stores or kiosks located inside of outlet malls. For those who enjoy shopping and getting the best deals for their money, an outlet mall is the best bet because there is the widest range of stores and brands found in one location. Here is a listing of some of these malls with the total number of stores in them.

The Tanger Outlet Mall in Foley, Alabama has 93 total stores.
The Phoenix Premium Outlet Mall (Phoenix/Glendale area) has 61 stores.
The Outlets at Anthem in Phoenix, Arizona has 48 stores.
The Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, Arizona has 70 stores.
The Vieja Outlet Mall in Alpine, California has 28 stores.
The Tanger Outlet Mall in Barstow, California has 33 stores.
The Desert Hills Premium Outlet Mall in Cabazon, California has 119 stores.
The Cabazon Outlet Mall in Cabazon, California only has 17 stores.
Vero Beach Outlet Mall in Vero Beach, Florida has 54 stores.
Silver Sands Premium Outlet in Destin, Florida has 89 stores.
Ellenton Premium Outlet in Ellenton, Florida has 110 stores.

You may notice that there are many outlet malls that bear the same or similar names such as Tanger Outlets, Premium Outlets or Simon Malls. This is because these are all branded outlet and regular retail malls that are found in various locations across the country. Most of them are owned or managed by the same property group, so the stores you will find there, the décor and the general layout may be fairly similar no matter what state you are in at the time. These malls may also feature some of the same amenities and the same type of discounts that are offered to certain groups. These malls tend to be among the largest in the area- for example the Premium outlet mall in Cabazon has 119 stores while the nearby Cabazon Outlet mall has fewer than 20 stores.

Not all of these outlets will carry all brands or styles. Some of the outlets are combo stores, while others are simply Sunglass Hut stores. Some that are branded as Sunglass Hut may have a limited number of watches and other items. One of the things that can be considered bad/good about outlet shopping is the thrill of the hunt. For those who do not like surprises, however, it is suggested that they call ahead to find if the brand name or style that they are looking for is carried in the store. This does not mean that the item will definitely be there, just that it is an item that is typically carried there.

If you are planning a shopping trip as part of your vacation, make sure that you set your budget to include the various stores that you intend to visit. If your destination is a sunny one, you will definitely want to include a trip to the Sunglass Hut Outlet store so that you can get stylish but still functional protection for every member of your family. Remember, your eyes should be protected from the sun for every season of the year, no matter where you are headed or what you are doing. Even a little bit of damage from the sun can be devastating to your eye health.