In 1873 Andrew L. Smith opened a small concern on Linden Street. Two years later Smith was joined by William Smith, Joshua I. Maxwell, William Hall, Phineas Prouty, Jr., Corydon Wheat and William H. Smith and incorporated the Geneva Optical Company, with the object of “manufacture, buying and selling of spectacles and other optical goods and merchandise pertaining thereto.”

In 1892, the owners entered an agreement with the W. Smith Company for the construction of a factory on Lyceum Street. One year later, 1893, the directors agreed to sell to James E. Brown and Theodore J. Smith, their “name, good will, and retail business” which included all items contained in the Linden Street office and any items bearing the name of the Geneva Optical Company that were contained in the factory.

This transaction appears to have separated the retail portion of the business from the manufacturing aspect. Standard Optical Company was incorporated in the same year, for the purpose of the “manufacture and sale of spectacles, eyeglasses and other optical goods as may be expedient…” A 1907 newspaper article reports that the company was making its own lenses, selling optical machinery as well as optical goods and boasted 350 employees. At its height, the company employed over 800 workers.

After the merging of several businesses in 1925, the name of the company changed to Shur-on Optical Company. In the late 1950s, Shur-on was sold to first one owner, and then another, Textron. In December 1960, Textron announced that the lens-making department would be moved to South Carolina. By April 1961 all major lens-manufacturing operations ceased and in 1969 the company departed completely from Geneva. In 1974, the Shur-On Buildings on Lyceum Street fell to bulldozers.