Moscot 2012 "LIVING HISTORY" Collection

It’s a little known fact that only 3 percent of all family businesses survive to the 4th generation and beyond. It’s even more impressive then, that venerable eyewear label Moscot is alive and thriving in Manhattan’s Lower East Side district. The LES — steeped in history —  was an area that once had an equally slim chance of survival, so much so that it was placed on The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Most Endangered Places. Moscot’s optical roots are closely tied to the Lower East Side’s — it began in 1899, when Hyman Moscot arrived from Eastern Europe and started selling ready-made eyeglasses from a pushcart on the LES’s Orchard Street. Today, Moscot operates three locations and is a proud purveyor of timeless eyewear — each pair crafted with a century of expertise. While the brand has grown into a world-renowned fashion label however, Moscot remains a neighborhood optical shop at heart. To commemorate their local ties, as well as the LES’s fourth and fifth generation family businesses and historic inhabitants, Moscot is launching its “LIVING HISTORY” campaign — a photographic celebration of the area and its denizens. The exhibition of both new and historic photos will launch on October 4 at the Orchard Street Gallery and run until November 30. Expect glimpses into legendary businesses like Russ & Daughters, who have been operating in the Lower East Side since 1914. In addition, Moscot will be launching a special collection of frames as part of its “LIVING HISTORY” collection, available for purchase from October 4.