Our clients' love stories: Valentine's Day at Italoptik

For Valentine’s Day, in February 2026, we decided to celebrate differently. We invited to our Italoptik Kala store, in Tirana Castle, several couples, long-time clients of ours, of different ages, and asked them something simple: to tell us their love story.

Heart wall with the words — “Love is seen more clearly with the eyes of the heart.”

How did they meet? What was their life together like? What difficulties did they go through, and how did they support each other? It was a day full of smiles, memories and a few tears of emotion.

The first moments of the evening, with sweets and a toast.

A couple raising a toast at the Italoptik Valentine's event — A toast to love.

It was very important to us to have couples of different ages. That way we saw how much love has changed over time. The younger couples told us they met on Facebook or Instagram, with a message or a “like” that became the start of everything. The older couples met differently: someone introduced them, a friend, a neighbour or a family member. The ways change, but what keeps people together stays the same: respect, patience and supporting each other through the hard days.

Couples sitting in a circle sharing their stories at Italoptik — The couples tell us how they met.

Love stories, told by the couples themselves.

One story touched us in particular. One of our most loyal clients, who has been coming to us for years, was there with his wife, both in their late fifties. They told us how hard it was for them at the beginning. In the Albania of that time, if you were not engaged you could not openly meet the person you loved, so they met in secret. Their families were not happy for them to be together either. But they did not give up. They supported each other, overcame every obstacle and are still together today. They have a 32-year-old daughter and have now become grandparents. It was beautiful to listen to them, their eyes still shining when they spoke about each other.

Couples and friends of Italoptik next to the illuminated map in the store — Clients who have stood by us for years.

We held this event to honour our clients. Many of them have been coming to Italoptik for years, some for decades, and they have stood by us with loyalty. Without them we would not be who we are today. It was our way of saying thank you, not only as clients but as people and as family.