Frame of Mind, Mark Plessinger

Savannah-born, nurtured by the farmlands of the buck-eye state, and rooted deeply within the clay sands of the capital city of this beloved South Carolina, Mark Plessinger owns Frame of Mind, The Art of Eyewear (FOM). You’ll find this optical boutique and alternative art gallery tucked right in the middle of South Carolina’s Main Street in the capital city, Columbia. Outfitted in a very metro-modern style, FOM invites you to come in and stay awhile. Mark’s business is the perfect self-portrait, a swirling organic energy that gives way to the verve for which he is so well-known. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with his degree in HRTA and has spent the last 16 years in management and sales in the optical industry. A State of South Carolina licensed and American Board of Opticianry certified optician, Mark opened FOM over five years ago. He wanted to bring something unseen and unavailable as of yet to the citizens of South Carolina and eventually to the Southeast…to impact lives with his art…to change how people saw themselves and the community. Many of the lines of frames he carries are exclusive to FOM; these pieces of “functional art” (as Mark calls them) that fill the shop displays are the pallet which he uses to design faces! As our state’s only eyewear boutique and alternative art gallery hybrid, Frame of Mind stands ready as Columbia’s purveyor of exclusive eyewear and distinctive (mostly local) art along with unparalleled service. We offer a diverse selection of quality ophthalmic frames and sunglasses that are fashion forward and that fit the individualized needs of our customers. A determined and dedicated man, Mark has leveraged his personal and professional presence and resources to build Main Street, to buoy the fiscal strength of our city and community, and to fortify the growth of the arts in Columbia. “When I saw this place, I instinctively knew that I would fill this space with art.” And so he has.