When customers walk into Specs by Kyla, owner Kyla Skinner treats them like a guest in her own home.
“We really enjoy what we do, and we never want people to think we are sales people,” Skinner said. “It’s more about helping them see better and loving what they are wearing on their face.”
Personal connection to her customers is important to Skinner.
“Sometimes I feel like we do eyeglass therapy here,” she said.
Specs by Kyla in Downtown Atascadero fits locals with eyewear inspired by a desire to sell unique designs Skinner felt were lacking in doctors’ offices.
“It’s just a matter of matching people’s personalities to their eyewear and who they are and maybe who they want to be,” Skinner said.
Plants, bright colors, and funky shapes adorn the space, reflecting Skinner’s personality. She wanted to bring more pop to her new storefront on the corner of Traffic Way and El Camino Real, which opened on April 14.
“My first space was very airy and neutral, and I didn’t honestly know how Atascadero would be receptive to really funky glasses, and so now that I know how it’s embraced and that people love it, I want the space that we built to reflect that as well,” Skinner said.
In July 2021, Skinner started Specs by Kyla, using the money from her birth mother’s inheritance. She described this decision as complicated because in finding her birth family she never wanted them to think she was after money.
“I also had a lifetime of grief hit me when she died and so it was a very heavy loss,” Skinner said. “And I felt like I just didn’t want to spend that money because if I lost it, it would be like losing her all over again. So, I wanted to hold on tight to it and keep it safe and hidden. But I also just felt like she handed me a chance to follow this dream that I had for a really long time.”
Since graduating high school, Skinner has worked as an optician, starting her career working at a doctor’s office in Paso Robles and learning the trade.
“The job is never boring,” Skinner said. “Like every pair of glasses is different. There’s different things to do every day, and it keeps things interesting and fun.”
In 1999, she became a certified optician through the American Board of Opticianry and spent her career working in different practices. After years of having dreams of opening her own business, she took the leap.
Within about six months of opening, she had earned back what she started the business with.
“I felt her blessing,” Skinner said of her birth mother. “Like I felt her presence in my business and her blessing and her gratitude and being able to help me follow that goal and then also have it be a success was very heartwarming, and I felt like it kind of healed something in me as well as I dealt with that grief.”
Through conversations with her customers, Skinner connects with them on an emotional level, sharing the happy and sad moments of life.
“It’s so rewarding to be able to feel connected with people in that way and that they trust us to share their hearts here too,” Skinner said.
Building connections with the designers that she carries is a key part of her business as well—the frames that she carries all come from small independent designers.
“We are not paying for a brand name,” Skinner said. “We are paying for a designer who actually designed the frames that you are seeing in front of you.”
Brands like Nina Mûr, which sells birchwood frames, and Theo, which incorporates pop art themes, reflect the shop’s funkiness.
“When somebody is wearing a unique frame out in the community, everybody asks them, ‘Where did you get that?’” Skinner said. “We still do get referrals of people like, ‘I saw somebody wearing super cool glasses in the grocery store and I want some too.’”
Skinner values connection to the community by giving back to nonprofits like Family Care Network, ECHO, and other organizations that support families in need.
“Just feeling like I was given a gift and just dealing with my own story around adoption,” Skinner said. “I can’t do a lot, but I feel like if we can all do a little bit, it can really make a difference in these families’ lives and how they succeed in our community.”
Fast fact
• At Lumina Alliance’s recent fundraising gala, the nonprofit raised more than $400,000 to support survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Lumina Nights: Dancing with Our Stars was held in the Vina Robles tasting room in Paso Robles, featuring dancers from the community. Public Information Specialist for the County of San Luis Obispo Jeanette Trompeter was the grand champion, raising more than $26,000. ∆
Reach Intern Katy Clark at intern@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in May 14-21, 2026.
