Photo courtesy of Nashville.com.

NASHVILLE—Warby Parker, the eyewear e-tailing brand with a growing brick-and-mortar presence in select markets throughout the U.S., announced this week that it would open a second corporate office in Nashville to augment its headquarters operation in New York City. Initially opening a temporary location here, the brand plans to build a permanent space in the near future.

The new location will become operational in mid-October. “Initially, we’re hiring about 15 employees to fill various roles on the Customer Experience team,” a Warby Parker spokesperson told VMail. “Eventually, that team will expand, and we may consider building out a few other departments. Our headquarters and corporate staff will remain in New York City.”

Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, said, “We're constantly seeking ways to build closer relationships with our customers. Opening an office in Nashville will allow us to do just that as we expand our Customer Experience team, tap into a talented local workforce, reach customers from a different time zone and build a presence in a really dynamic and culturally interesting city.”

According to an announcement by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, “As part of the expansion, Warby Parker will create more than 250 new jobs in Davidson County over the next five years.” Gov. Haslam said, “Tennessee’s central geographic location and strong creative class makes us a natural fit for a design company like Warby Parker. We want to thank Warby Parker for investing in Tennessee and creating these high quality jobs in Nashville.”

While Warby Parker has opened freestanding retail stores as well as showrooms inside boutiques throughout the U.S.,  this marks the first time the company will expand its corporate team outside of its New York City headquarters. “Nashville is such a vibrant city—we’re thrilled to put down roots there,” Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, said. “We will continue to expand our New York headquarters, but this is an exciting next step that will allow us to fuel future company and customer growth.”