Welcome to The Optical Shop.
Your Eye Care Provider in Brookings, SD

Susan Pietz Coats, OD grew up in Mitchell, SD. After graduating Mitchell Senior High, she attended the University of South Dakota where she earned her bachelor’s degree in both mathematics and business management with a minor in biology. She then obtained her Doctor of Optometry degree at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA. She completed her clinic rotations at the VA in Lowell, MA, the Colorado Optometric Center in Denver, CO, the Indian Health Service in Santa Fe, NM, and the North End Community Health Center in Boston, MA. Dr. Coats practiced in Watertown at Meier Visual Clinic for nearly five years before purchasing The Optical Shop in Brookings, SD in 2008. In her free time, Dr. Susan enjoys singing (she was Mrs. Bucket in the Brookings Community Theater’s 2010 production of Willy Wonka Jr. and Yente in the 2012 presentation of Fiddler on the Roof), walking, bicycling, traveling, doting on her daughter Ashley, supporting her step-daughter Kimberly’s activities, enabling John’s golf habit, cheering on the Jackrabbits and spending time with family and friends. Susan is a member of the Brookings Optimist Club as well as Chamber Ambassadors.

John Coats is our CFO, office manager and chief dispensing optician. He is originally from Doland, SD. He attended SDSU where he obtained a degree in Business Economics. John worked for the State of SD as a sales tax auditor for 10 years, based out of the Watertown office. He was with Daktronics from 2005 until 2011 as the Sales Tax Manager and was also the treasurer of the Brookings Optimist Club for two years. John’s duties changed once he made the switch to full-time at The Optical Shop. He now manages everything financial, including insurance and billing, as well as serves as an optician, aiding in frame and lens selections, lens edging and spectacle adjustments and repair. He can produce a single vision pair of glasses for you in about an hour! John loves to hunt, golf, bike, attend SDSU football and basketball games, and of course, spend time with his lovely daughters Kimberly and Ashley.

Lynise John is our main frame stylist and dispensing optician. Lynise was raised in Alcester, SD and now calls Aurora her home. She brings a sense of fashion and flair to our clinic. Lynise believes that glasses are a fun and very important accessory. Her favorite part of working at The Optical Shop is styling patients and helping them to find the perfect frame! In her free time, Lynise enjoys being outdoors, traveling, watching her husband Mike play softball, going to concerts, spending time with family and friends and taking care of her YorkiPoos, Norman and Ruby.