The newest members of the Friendliest City held an open house event and ribbon cutting last Thursday. Family Eye Center, also located in Troy, will now welcome citizens of Crenshaw County with a more convenient location.

“We have a large number of patients from this area already, so we were looking at it and it really made sense. When we found out Dr. Jane was thinking of retiring, we certainly wanted to make sure the people over here continued to have quality eye care,” said Dr. Allen Dunn.

Dunn began his practice in 1984 in Troy, with his wife at his side. Since then, the two have continued to grow their business and now jump at the chance to expand to Luverne.

“We want to make sure that the people in Luverne and Crenshaw County have access to the highest quality of eye care possible. We brought in the latest diagnostic instruments and the latest eye ware,” Dunn said.

“We were blessed to have Dr. Jane’s staff come to work with us, so we have a staff here that the community’s already familiar with and have established relationships with.”

Being a small town man himself, Dunn sees the importance of returning to your roots to help small towns grow. In his years of practicing, Dunn has noticed that many physicians get their degrees and soon after head to bigger areas to practice, when it’s their own small hometowns that are in desperate need of their services.

With this in mind, Dunn set out to help those in his hometown of Troy and now hopes to bring that same mentality to the citizens of Crenshaw County.

“There are probably four or five people who have been with us 20 years, and the staff here in Luverne must have been here for an excess of 20 years,” Dunn said.

“It’s good to really have a seasoned staff that had the knowledge and training already. They are very capable.”

Over his years, Dunn has come to realize that the most rewarding aspect of his job lies in the services he and his team are able to provide. There have been multiple times during his career where he has been able to warn a patient of a potential life-threatening illness before it set in just from performing a routine eye exam. This is one reason that drives Dunn to be the best optometrist he can be on a daily basis.

Dunn is excited to see what lies ahead of the business as it officially opens its doors. He is confident that his team of experienced physicians will not only make the task an easy one, but also an enjoyable one.

“It’s really doing something for someone that they can’t do themselves,” Dunn said.

“We’ve been welcomed with open arms. They really are some of the friendliest people. They’re grateful that we’re here and we’re grateful, and it’s a pleasure and an honor to be able to serve them,” Dunn said.