J Ellis

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, an elderly gentleman entered J Ellis and exclaimed, ‘I just saw a ghost!’ The optician raised an eyebrow but didn’t bat an eye. ‘Really?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ said the man, ‘he had glasses on.’ The optician smiled and replied, ‘Sir, if you see him again, maybe ask for his prescription.’ A week later, the same old gentleman returned, beaming. ‘He came back!’ he declared excitedly. ‘And I got new lenses!’

2. A little girl walked into J Ellis one afternoon, her eyes wide with wonder as she pointed at the display of vintage spectacles. "Mommy," she whispered, "look at these glasses—do you think they can see ghosts?" The old man behind the counter smiled gently and picked up a pair of antique spectacles. 'Honey,' he said softly, ‘these are just glasses that help people see better.' The little girl nodded thoughtfully, then giggled and ran out, leaving her mother to shake her head and mutter, 'I’ll never understand kids.'

3. A curious tourist asked the optician one day, ‘Do you ever get customers who come in without their glasses?’ The old optician smiled and replied, 'Oh yes, quite often.' A moment later, a regular walked in, squinting and rubbing his eyes. The optician laughed softly, shook his head, and said, “I told you not to leave them at home!”

4. One evening, a delivery driver stopped by J Ellis to drop off some frames. As he left, he noticed something odd in the reflection of the shop window: someone seemed to be waving from inside. Curious, the driver peered through the glass and saw no one. Smiling to himself, he thought maybe it was just an old mirror trick. Later that night, while adjusting his own glasses, he swore he caught another glimpse of someone waving back—this time from his own reflection.