Castle Rock Eye Wear
Adventure-seeking enthusiasts
By Chris Michlewicz; photos courtesy of Charlotte Mattox
Jim and Charlotte Mattox at a fundraiser for the Douglas Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust dedicated to the protection and conservation of the natural character, habitats, ecosystems and open space of Douglas County and other areas along the Front Range region of Colorado.
Not long after Charlotte and Jim Mattox moved to Colorado from Florida 14 years ago, they became involved in community causes.
As many transplants do, the owners of Castle Rock EyeWear fell in love with Colorado while here on vacation. They opened their business in October 2007 and quickly found themselves organizing events in The Village at Castle Pines, including an annual car show and a chili cook-off, despite having no experience doing either.
Going outside of their comfort zone has become something of a habit. The couple – married for 38 years, with two adult children and four grandchildren – decided to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Charlotte wore a huge smile as she crossed her arms over her chest and took the plunge. Jim, meanwhile, had fallen while making his way to the door, and was unceremoniously shoved out at cruising altitude. The shocked look on his face was captured on video.
Skydiving was a bucket-list item for the couple, and overcoming the fear associated with such an act now has them considering other extreme sports. Jim recently received a ziplining package for The EDGE Ziplines & Adventures in Castle Rock for his birthday.
Jim and Charlotte, owners of Castle Rock EyeWear, on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Perhaps their biggest passion, aside from selling eyeglasses tailored to each individual, is volunteering at Mattersville Vets, a sustainable tiny home community near Deckers created for American veterans suffering from PTSD or homelessness. The nonprofit not only cares for veterans and their needs, but also wolves and wolf hybrids, and fosters relationships between the human and canine residents. Being owners of huskies – a breed closely related to wolves – and supporters of veterans, the Mattoxes did some research and found Mattersville Vets to be a perfect fit for them.
“Once we saw everything that was going on and what was needed, we decided to become more of a permanent part of the organization,” Charlotte said.
They have helped care for the wolves and wolf hybrids for more than a year and will soon be maintaining the community’s gardens.
The frequent travelers have big plans once COVID-19 restrictions allow them to go outside of the country, and Greece and Alaska are near the top of their list.
