Meet Dr. Merle Piik

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. The tiny nation of Estonia was one of the 15 republics that regained their independence after decades of being forced to live under the flag and ideals of the USSR. 

For the first time in a long, long time — new opportunities were everywhere! Dr. Merle Piik, who by then had been a resident ophthalmologist for Paide Hospital for 16 years, decided in 1995 that it was the perfect time to try her hand at entrepreneurship. And that’s exactly what she did!

To hear her tell it, the first few years were tough. Dr. Piik was the resident ophthalmologist, founder, and CEO of her small ophthalmology shop. But she was also the optometrist, optician, sales associate, floor manager, secretary, and accountant! 

But the 14 hour days were slowly starting to pay off. She was finally bringing in enough revenue to hire some employees, so she no longer had to do everything on her own. She was able to open more locations — including an optical shop in the seaside resort town of Pärnu, where she sold thousands of pairs of sunglasses to sunburnt Estonians.

Dr. Piik has many stories from over the years — far too many to tell here. But here is one of her favorites; one that perfectly encapsulates what made her such an excellent doctor: 

Early in her career, a young single mother came into Dr. Piik’s shop. She was unemployed, but she had finally found a job. There was only one problem: in order to do the work, she needed glasses. She didn’t have glasses… and she also didn’t have any money to buy new ones. 

Understanding this young mother’s predicament, Dr. Piik gifted her the glasses, free of charge. The woman got the job, and Dr. Piik still has the thank-you letter all these years later. Reading it still moves her to tears.

Dr. Piik’s extensive knowledge and work ethic made her an excellent doctor. But her compassion, positivity, and deep generosity — are what made her so beloved by her patients and allowed her business to flourish over the decades. 

In 2009, Dr. Piik’s two sons left their IT and internet marketing jobs to work in the family business. Their goals were to help their mother take the business online and help Estonians finally gain convenient, affordable access to contact lenses. They were ultimately successful in both their initiatives, as the coronavirus pandemic ultimately motivated them to take the operations of Dr. Piik’s friendly little optical shop fully online. 

There’s a lot that’s changed in the decades since Dr. Piik’s first opened the doors of her first store. But when you look below the surface, it’s still that same friendly little optical shop that cares deeply about its customers and wants to help them to clearly see everything that life has to offer… without missing a blink!