I have been working for Bottomley Opticians, in Halifax and Lindley solidly for the last 11 years.
Long before that I worked for the company when we were located on Commercial street in Halifax.
I started at the age of 10, when I would accompany my father to work on a Saturday morning. At the time I didn’t understand what I was doing for myself but I have to tell you that every day I draw on what I was learning each Saturday as a kid.
The culture at Bottomley’s was very much engineered by Randolph Bottomley and it was really centred around how to serve. Randolph, who was my grandfather, apart from being a great optician was a great businessman too. He understood the simple rules of treating people well and in turn those clients treated him well by talking about their happy experience at the opticians to friends and family…. and the business grew.
Since then, the business has grown more and moved to our current location at The Old Town Hall on Union street by the top entrance to the Piece Hall. My father John Bottomley undertook this huge project and moved the company forward with greater presence, more space and level access. We’ve been housed at OTH for the past 18 years would you believe?!
John has been living on the beautiful island of Tiree for the last few years and we have built a small practice to
keep him out of mischief. At 4 hours each way on the ferry we have saved the islanders a day or two of their lives every year when they need to go to the opticians.
In the time where I wasn’t working for Bottomley Opticians I worked for two or three other opticians and used the skills I had and learned new ones. The thing I noticed most about each place I worked was the gap in the culture and attitude of the business. It was far more concentrated on figures than people. The fulfilment wasn’t there and it seemed at odds with what I had learned in my earlier days.
How I ended up back at Bottomley Opticians years later is another story but when I did I was determined to use what “RB” had taught me. After all … he’s the reason we have the business I’m involved in running.
Jim Bottomley
