INFOCUS
BRINGING LUXURY INTO PERSPECTIVE AT KC’S OWN ROMANELLI OPTIX WRITTEN BY REBECCA FISCHER / PHOTOS BY JAMI MARSHALL
Cousins Roman Beznovsky and Felix Milman believed from a young age that the American Dream was attainable for them—even as the sons of Russian immigrant families growing up in Section 8 housing off Troost Avenue. “We knew life didn’t have to be like that, with all the opportunity in America—if we could just figure out how to engage,” Beznovsky says. Beznovsky thought that, for him, the dream would be realized through studying optometry. Ever since he had been prescribed glasses to correct his vision as a child, he was fascinated with why he didn’t see correctly. He wanted to learn everything he could about the eyes, and then share that knowledge with others.
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SIMPLYkc MAGAZINE
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NOVEMBER 2020
While attending the University of Kansas, Beznovsky worked for several optical shops. But shortly after graduating, it dawned on him that he enjoyed the style aspects of optics much more than the medical aspects. He went on to become the manager of one of the only ultra-luxury optical shops in the world—here in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, his cousin Milman was pursuing his interests in fashion, clothing, and accessories. He was working at another optical shop when Beznovsky’s shop announced it would be closing. “That was almost 20 years ago,” says Beznovsky. “Really, both of us have been following this dream since right out of high school.”
