Seeing The World In All Its Beauty: Coastal Woods Vision Forges Ahead With New Manistee Location
Coastal Woods Vision, a provider of high-quality eye care and optical products in Manistee, has landed on the ideal location for their expansion, notably including the growth of their practice, providing comprehensive eye exams to more than 2,300 patients each year. Their current practice location has been established for nearly 40 years at 384 First Street. Their new location will be at 328 First Street in Manistee, a historic building of over 100 years, the former home of Port City Organics.
“Other than the Covid period, we’ve grown every year since buying the business in 2019. We have continually reinvested in equipment and upgraded technology. The building is a game changer that fits the needs of our patients and employee team in an enduring way,” said business owner and President Pamela Lynch, O.D. “It offers patients safe access to their appointments, efficient layout for special testing to treat medical ocular conditions and more space in our optical department to showcase high quality, fashionable frames. We will be able to double the number of patients we see at one time. It also accommodates current and new team members and has space for breaks and employee meetings. Plus, it’s in the downtown district, close to shopping and dining.”
Coastal Woods Vision business manager and owner/president, Larry and Pamela Lynch; state-of-the-art services at Coastal Woods Vision include the use of a topographer and OCT imaging; the future home of Coastal Woods Vision at 328 First Street, Manistee;
Lynch said office construction will be completed in early 2026 with the entire rebuild of the 3,000 square foot first floor. The other 2,600 square feet of building space is dedicated to a real estate business and existing apartments on the second level. The rebuild encompasses new floors, drywall, cabinetry, HVAC, electrical and plumbing. The interior will feature a more efficient patient flow, more spacious optical retail setting, private office space and a staff break room as well as room to accommodate incoming optometrist, Dr. Holly Goodwin.
“We’re so excited to have Dr. Holly on our team,” said Lynch. “She is dedicated to the same personalized, patient-focused eye care that we prioritize and patients have come to expect at Coastal Woods Vision. Her experience includes advanced externships and research-based eye treatment, including dry eye management, geriatric vision care and specialty contact lenses. She’s a great doctor and loves living in this area. She is a wonderful fit for our practice.”
The new location also supports the culture of the growing eye care team.
“We currently have 7 employees and plan to recruit and hire two others soon,” she said. “We’d also like to continue our summer employment opportunity for future optometry students. This past summer, Hunter Bentley of Bear Lake, a first-year student at the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State, worked as one of our optometric assistants. It was a great experience for both sides.”
“We want our team to make this their career, meeting lifestyle and family needs through the compensation and employee benefits they receive,” she said. “We also support continuing education so everyone can grow and expand skills not only in their eye care niche, but also in communication, leadership and qualities for everyday life.”
Venture North Funding and Development, a nonprofit provider of affordable capital and business consultation, provided capital to expedite the purchase of advanced corneal topography imaging technology to improve specialty contact lens fitting evaluations and expand dry eye treatment. “We admire their dual goals to expand access to quality health care in Manistee and to be a model employer for the community,” said Venture North lending specialist Steve Brower. “Venture North is proud to have them as a client.”
Lynch, a former Brethren High School graduate, attended the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University and Central Michigan University. Her prior practice experience took her from working as an ophthalmic technician in Traverse City to providing optometric eye care at a large multispecialty ophthalmology practice in Toledo, Ohio to boutique private practice before her acquisition of Veach and Allen, a highly regarded optometric practice in 2019. She, along with husband and business manager, Larry Lynch, originally from Kaleva, are committed to the Manistee area, appreciating the small-town atmosphere and spectacular natural resources. Larry has been a Special Education Teacher for the Ludington Area School District for over ten years.
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