Tucked away in the quiet
corner of the Gaslight Village
Shopping Center in
Morrisville is an unassuming
little optical retailer called
Normandy. It stands
between a pizza parlor and a
nail salon and one could pass
it by without noticing its existence.
But, people certainly know
it’s there. In fact, the same
customers have been coming
back year after year, largely
due to the owner Stephen
Schmerling.
Schmerling, 51, has been in
the optometry business for 30
years. He began working as
an optician with his father
when he was a teenager, and
knew it was his calling. “It’s
just in my blood,” he said. He
even met his wife of 22 years,
Barbara, with whom he has a
son, in the field. Through the
years, Schmerling has gotten
to know his customers well.
They are like family.
“Without a doubt, the most
rewarding part of what I do is
the customers,” he said.
Inside, Normandy Optical
has the feel of a small, momand-
pop shop. There’s a little
waiting area. The selection of
frames is not massive and the
emphasis is on quality. The
walls are lined with diamond
studded Gucci, flashy
Armani, sleek Kenneth Cole
and Kliik, a trendy line from
Denmark.
Behind the front desk sits
Schmerling, working to satisfy
his customer’s needs.
There are no strict corporate
guidelines Schmerling is
forced to follow and it is obvious
his customers appreciate
that. “I need something inexpensive.
The most inexpensive
frame you have,” said
Karen Dopson, a longtime
patient and Lower Makefield
resident. Schmerling quickly
draws Dopson over to the
frame boards. “I have these,
which I think you’ll like,” he
said pointing out a pair of
rimless Mandalay frames.
“They are on sale.”
“What I like about Steve,”
Dopson said, “is that he is so
open and honest about cost.
He tells it like it is. You never
get the feeling he is trying to
sell you something. He honestly
has the customer’s best
interest at heart.”
With rimless frames in
hand, Schmerling marches
over to the desk and efficiently
punches figures into a calculator,
trying to determine
whether or not his prices are
better than her insurance
plan. The total cost of the
glasses is $225, which
Schmerling stresses Dopson
should not worry about. “Pay
what you can now, and the
rest later.”
Day in and day out, everything
appears to be business
as usual, and no one would
know Schmerling is not in
good health. In 2005, after
going in for a colonoscopy, he
was diagnosed with colon
cancer. He had his colon
removed. Starting in
December of 2005, there was
a year of remission. In 2006,
he found out the cancer was
back. It had metastasized to
his lungs. “I remember the
day I got the call, I sat down
on the floor over there,” he
said, pointing across the
room. “I was shocked it was
back. Cancer doesn’t run in
my family.”
Still, there is no sign of sadness
or self-pity. And
Schmerling certainly doesn’t
look sick.
He cruises around the office
with the energy of a young
man. He is tall, with dark hair
and stylish rectangular
frames. He has lost some but
not all of his hair to
chemotherapy, and does not
look frail. On the contrary, he
carries a little extra weight
around the middle from a self
professed ice cream addiction.
He said other than being
overly tired from time to time
he can’t tell he’s sick. He
rarely misses work due to
treatments. “Chemo isn’t as
bad as people think. It has
gotten much better over the
years. I’m not hanging over a
toilet afterwards or anything.”
He does however,
recall one day being so tired
that on his way home he
could barely push the gas
pedal down in the car.
Schmerling’s nonchalance
about having cancer does not
go unnoticed. Mike Wojton,
the optometrist at Normandy,
has worked with Steve for 10
years. “He just pushes
through everything. He has a
positive attitude. You will
never hear him complain.”
Through 2007 and 2008,
Schmerling underwent three
different types of chemotherapy,
and none were successful.
He is currently being
treated with “experimental
medicine,” which his doctor
is hopeful will work, perhaps
after the third round.
So what does Schmerling
attribute all the positivity to?
For one, his doctor’s attitude
is very upbeat and hopeful,
so that helps. Also helpful
are the e-mails he often
receives from customers
wishing him well. But the
moment reality hit Steve-
that Ah-ha moment-came in
2007 when Schmerling’s
friend and neighbor Police
Officer Chuck Cassidy was
shot in the head when walking
into a Dunkin Donuts
during a robbery; Schmerling
recalls being in chemotherapy
when the incident was
reported on the news. “What
a tragedy. Our sons played
together. You see, you never
know when life is gonna end.
I could die in a car accident
tonight. I could live with the
cancer for 10 more years.”
And hopefully he does. His
loyal customers hope so as
well.