Month: June 2025

KTVZ News Partners

BEND, Ore. — National eyewear retailer Warby Parker is officially opening its doors in Bend’s Old Mill District on Saturday, July 5, and will replace half of the former Victoria Secret building, which operated for 20 years before closing this February.

A mission-driven retailer that specializes in affordable, accessible and stylish eyewear, Warby Parker will move into 1,800 square feet of space in the heart of the Old Mill District.

Warby Parker and another soon-to-be-announced tenant replace Victoria’s Secret, whose lease in the Old Mill District concluded at the end of February. The 6,300-square-foot space has been demised into two separate leasable areas.

To celebrate its grand opening, Warby Parker is offering a free custom tote bag with any eyewear purchase while supplies last. Guests will be able to browse the brand’s full assortment of optical and sun eyewear, contact lenses, accessories, and more. The new location will also offer affordable eye care, including comprehensive eye exams and telehealth services.

“We’re excited to welcome Warby Parker to the Old Mill District,” said Beau Eastes, Old Mill District marketing director. “Their grand opening marks a fresh addition to our retail mix and brings a new level of access to quality eyewear, thoughtful design and personalized eyecare.”

“This is a brand that does things differently,” Eastes added. “They’ve proven they can scale without compromising values, and that aligns with how we operate here.”

Founded as an online retailer in 2010, Warby Parker was created with the belief that everyone deserves good vision and that prescription glasses were too expensive. It opened its first retail space in 2013, and today Warby Parker operates more than 280 stores in the United States and Canada.

Warby Parker is also known for its philanthropic efforts. For every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. To date, the company has distributed more than 20 million glasses to people in need in partnership with nonprofit organizations.

In addition, Warby Parker partners with schools and government agencies through its Pupils Project, which provides free vision screenings, eye exams and glasses to schoolchildren. To date, the Pupils Project has distributed more than 227,000 pairs to students across the country, from Boston to the Bay Area.

ABOUT WARBY PARKER

Warby Parker was founded in 2010 with a mission to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose and style without charging a premium for it. Headquartered in New York City, the co-founder-led lifestyle brand designs products and develops technologies that help people see, from designer-quality prescription glasses starting at $95 and contacts to eye exams and vision tests available online and in more than 280 retail stores across the United States and Canada.

Warby Parker believes in vision for all. Through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, the company has worked alongside nonprofit partners to distribute more than 20 million glasses to people in need. Learn more at www.warbyparker.com.

ABOUT THE OLD MILL DISTRICT

The Old Mill District is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most distinctive and dynamic mixed-use developments. Located on 270 acres that once housed one of the world’s largest sawmill operations, the district blends rich history with mountain views, river vistas and an extensive trail system. More than 55 local, regional and national retailers and businesses call the Old Mill District home. Learn more at www.oldmilldistrict.com.

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Matthew Draxton

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) —   A contentious topic this past week: the possible sale of public land. The provision brought forth by Utah Senator Mike Lee as part of the Trump Administration’s Big Beautiful Bill, aimed to sell swaths of Forest Service and and Beurau of Land Management land.

That provision, though, was blocked Tuesday in the United States Senate, with revisions expected soon.

KTVZ News spoke to locals and Central Oregon nonprofits about the provision, it’s possible revisions, and generally how folks would feel to the sale of public land.

One Bend resident, Kara Laduke, said “I think it’s a bummer for for a lot of us.” Another resident, Kirk Anderson, “it’s really concerning.”

Bend resident, Andrea Napoli said it’s “detrimental to everyone.” Andrew Deenick, a frequent user of public lands said, “it’s not good keep it as it is” 

Frustration and confusion. That’s how community members and nonprofits such as Oregon Hunters Association initially felt about the possible sale of public land 

Tyler Dungannon, the conservation coordinator with Oregon Hunters Association saidm, “OHA strongly opposes the sale of our public lands.”

The provision, though introduced by senator mike lee from Utah, was blocked In the us senate Tuesday morning. It proposed to mandate the National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sell 0.5 to 0.75 percent of all public lands. That’s about 2 to 3 millions acres of public land between 11 states.

“We moved to Central Oregon for this reason, and we have two young kids, and we want them to be able to grow up playing in the outdoors and taking advantage of what makes Central Oregon special,” Laduke said. She added, “so we feel protective over it.”

“I think public lands obviously benefit everyone. So, keeping them public is certainly ideal and out of the hands of private owners,” Napoli added.

In Oregon there’s 22 million acres of public land that would have been eligible. That includes over 9 million acres of Forest Service Land and over 11 million acres of BLM land.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden commented saying “in terms of what this means, this runs contrary to all the Oregon values in our DNA, and particularly in Central Oregon.”

In a post on X, Senator Lee said he would make revisions to the provision. Still making housing a priority, the revised version would include a removal of all forest service land from the provision. He also noted he would significantly reduce the amount of BLM land in the bill.

Jeremy Austin, Wildlands and Water Program Director with Central Oregon Landwatch said, “efforts like this to sell off our public lands will only further fragment those landscapes and make it harder for wildlife to reach the access to access the resources they need to survive.”

Initially, the proposal required state or local government to nominate possible land. It also formerly required nominated land to be adjacent to existing developed areas, have existing infrastructure, and be suitable for residential housing.

Now, it’s Senator Lee’s intention to make land within 5 miles of population center eligible. 

Dungannon added, “urban sprawl is one of the main reasons why our mule deer are declining in central Oregon. Urban sprawl, housing development, any sort of development is a direct loss of habitat.“

Others question the integrity that the need for housing justifies selling public land 

“President Trump’s proposed budget would slash the US Department of Housing and Urban Development by up to 50%,” said Austin. He continued, “so it’s really concerning to see our public lands being, used in this way.”

Though the provision has been blocked, some say this attempt at privatizing public land is about principle and creates worries for future public land legislation.

Deenick noted ”setting the door so that it’s unlocked. So down the road, you know, someone can come in and develop it more aggressively.”

Dungannon added, “this could absolutely set a precedent for future land sales. That is of extreme concern for OHA.”

Representative Cliff Bentz voiced strong opposition to proposals that would sell millions of acres of federal land arguing that improving federal land management, not selling it, is the best way forward.

While he supports land exchanges, when there’s clear local demand, he says such decisions must include thorough debate, and local input.

This comes as the trump administration said Monday it’s moving to rescind Clinton-era Policy known as the roadless rule that blocked logging on 58 million acres of national forest lands.

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