Elton, Elvis and more: Family eyeglass business with storied history finds home in Rio Rancho

RIO RANCHO — Six decades ago, an eyeglass shop found its beginnings in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now, the legacy has made its way to Rio Rancho.

The Spectacle, run by Travis Cottam, his wife Nicole, their daughter Caitlyn and their son-in-law, celebrated its Rio Rancho opening July 9 at its location near M’Tucci’s Italian off of Unser Boulevard. Travis said the business started with his father, John Cottam, in the 1960s.

“He started working in the lab grinding lenses by hand. After several years, he ended up opening his own optical store in Las Vegas, and then he ended up moving to Salt Lake City,” he said.

Cottam said his father and mother found a home for the business in a Utah mall. “He just fell in love with it and built a store in there,” Cottam said.

The family was in Salt Lake City for 40 years, according to Cottam.

“Me and my family moved to Utah in 2006 from Las Vegas, and he was getting a little older wanted some help at the store. So we ended up working with him in Salt Lake City from 2006 until we started building this late last year,” he said.

He said they chose Rio Rancho because they had friends and family there, had visited several times and ended up liking it.

“In the interim, I had started a general manager position with a worldwide lens laboratory. It was a regional position, and so we decided to move our home to here because of the friends and family after that contract was over. I’ve been going back and forth with the family business from here to visit Utah to here. So we just decided to close Utah down all together when (my father) retired, and we love it here. The community is amazing,” he said.

The family brings an impactful legacy with them as well. Cottam shared some more of his father’s history.

“My father had his store on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he was able to meet some interesting people like Elton John,” he said proudly.

Cottam added that a set of the legendary rock star’s famous star glasses were hand crafted by his father.

“He also made some of the iconic Elvis glasses — the aircraft aluminum Elvis glasses,” Cottam said.

Back then, according to Cottam, Elvis Presley would order glasses by the dozen and the company would manufacture them. “The story goes that his people would give them as gifts because they’re the Elvis glasses,” Cottam said.

His father’s motto was that eyeglasses didn’t have to be ugly, according to the website. It also stated that Cottam’s father designed custom specs in his store for the likes of Ann-Margret, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.

The company still does custom shapes like teddy bears, soldiers and more.

“The star glasses are like custom shapes that my father made for Elton John in Las Vegas. I believe there’s two that he wears on covers that he manufactured in Las Vegas. (My father) did a lot of custom shapes, and that’s something fun that we like to do,” he said.

As the Spectacle makes its start in Rio Rancho, the family remains dedicated to caring about each customer, according to Cottam. Though not all people will be getting teddy bears for lenses, Cottam says they will work with the customer until their glasses are to their liking.

“It has to be something that not only makes them feel good but works out a lot of the problems that people have with eyeglasses. Like, some people just don’t see really well, they see OK, or you hear a lot of people try the progressive lens and can’t wear them. Anyone can wear a progressive if it’s done right, and something a lot of people don’t get is that done right thing,” he said.

He said they are proud that they take the time to make sure each lens is as perfect as possible.

At the end of the day, it’s also a family business, said Cottam.

The Spectacle does not issue prescriptions but will take prescriptions to craft eyeglasses at varying price points. For more information, visit thespectacle.com.