Furniture store offers rustic Mexican look

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      A funny thing happened on Nissam Hamou's way to retirement -- he unretired.
      "You can only play so much tennis," chirped the bespectacled 50-year-old as he buzzed about his two-in-one business that opened last month at 490 S. Buffalo Drive.
      The on-again entrepreneur returned to the seven-day-a-week grind with Belle Vista, an eyeglass store and a new venture Casa Rustica, which specializes in rustic Mexican furniture.
      "I love to work and I love to make people happy," the Summerlin resident said.
      He also loves to tell stories. Pick one: Of how America provided an escape from a life of service in the Israeli Army; of becoming an optician and building a successful life in New York; of"finally" making it to Las Vegas; of retiring only to unretire; of using one profession to springboard into another.
      "I've had a pretty interesting life," he said.
      Hamou opened Belle Vista to capitalize on his 28 years as an optician. Casa Rustica fell into place. He fits, designs and customizes his eyeglasses. Though most of the furniture is ordered, he designs some pieces.
      "This location was too big for my eye shop, so I decided to open a furniture store that deals in rustic Mexican furniture," he said. "I've always loved that type of furniture and this side of the country is a great place (to sell it)."
      Hamou never dreamed of entrepreneurship, but he did dream of America. His mother pushed him stateside after his brother died in an Israeli war.
      "She would always say that America is the land of opportunity," said the father of four, whose children range in age from 10 to 27.
      He had family in Las Vegas, but he settled in New York and began studying to be an optician. He worked as an optician for 28 years and opened several eyeglass shops.
      Success enabled retirement. He fell in love with Las Vegas during a trip. Eager to join his family, he retired here 18 months ago. Retirement lasted a year.
      "Staying home and playing tennis and relaxing got boring," he said. "I needed to do something to keep busy. I need to help people, to see people and to be around people."
      Belle Vista carries products from chic manufacturers -- Linea Roma, Deja Vu, Cassini, J. Garcia, Revert and Polar.
      "Nobody in town does what I do (with regard to the eyeglass store). Through my 30 years experience as a designer, I know what type of glasses fit certain types of people," said Hamou, who began studying the craft shortly after arriving in the United States at age 18.
      "Many designers don't design for the comfort of the customer, they design for the design. They don't know about materials that go into making glass, the types of screws, the optimal weight. I've fixed every type of glass from every designer. I'm like a mechanic ... a mechanic knows which cars are good because he repairs cars. I know eyeglasses."
      He offers another comparison: "You can go to Home Depot to get the items to do it yourself or go to a professional who can fit your needs."
      Licensed optician Debra O'Hair said Hamou's experience sets him apart.
      A wood shop smell wafts through Casa Rustica. The assorted inventory includes metal picture frames, rustic, phone stands, see-through glass vases, lamps, bed posts, tan-colored trunks, dressers and more. Among the larger items are a glass bookshelf ($545), wooden dinette set ($810) and an Armour entertainment center ($610).
      A lifelong handyman, Hamou stains and refinishes before delivery.
      "We've only been open a couple of weeks so the inventory will continue to grow," he said, adding that his wife Iris is available for interior design tips. "No other place in town offers the variety of rustic furniture. They may have a few pieces, but not this extensive an inventory. It's grown by 50 percent in each of the first couple of weeks."
      Hamou plans to cut back on his work hours once he finds dependable help.
      "I stand behind everything. When you get something from me, you get me. The combination of shops is unique and works well," he said, joking that, "I make people see what they buy."