Five Generations and Still Seeing Clearly: A Window Into Why Family Business Endures
[Photo: MOSCOT, Ciutadella, Minorca]Sometimes the universe just hands you a blog post. There I was, wandering the beautiful ancient streets of Ciutadella in Minorca, when a window stopped me in my tracks. Bold yellow. A magnificent illustrated eye. And the words that made me reach straight for my camera:
Family Business. Since 1915. 5 Generations.
Meet MOSCOT. Founded in 1915 by Hyman Moscot, who sold ready-made reading glasses from a pushcart in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the family-run company grew from a local optical stand into one of the most recognisable eyewear brands in the world. And here it was, quietly doing business in a Minorcan backstreet. Proof, if you needed it, that heritage travels.
The Moscot story starts with Hyman, a Jewish immigrant who left Belarus in 1899 to escape oppression, arriving in New York via Ellis Island. He started with nothing but a pushcart and a belief that people deserved to see clearly. One hundred and eleven years later, MOSCOT now operates boutiques in cities including London, Melbourne, Florence, Barcelona, Vienna, Paris, Tokyo, and Seoul — and apparently, Ciutadella too.
But here’s what struck me most. Through every decade, each generation of the Moscot family has brought its own contributions, ensuring that the core values of quality, craftsmanship, and personal service remain steadfast. They didn’t sell out. They didn’t get swallowed by a conglomerate.
They kept it in the family, kept it real, and kept it proud.
As Harvey Moscot, the fourth generation, put it: “Providing medical eye exams for our customers in our Lower East Side shop has become ingrained in our family’s identity. It’s not just a job; it’s a part of who we are.”
That, right there, is the soul of family business. Not the balance sheet. Not the global footprint. The identity. The pride. The sense that what you do is inseparable from who you are.
So yes — five generations. Proud? Why on earth wouldn’t you be. 👓
