Filed under: EVENTS!, FASHION!, NEWS!
Join us at Randolph St Market on Sunday, July 31st!
Looking for something fun to do on you weekend? Love antiques and quirky treasures? Enjoy eating at food carts? Then get your butt over to Randolph St Market and enjoy a day of scavenging at Chicago’s best place to shop for vintage furniture, fashion, clothing, jewelry, antiques, art, indie designer & handbags and glasses!
Iris, the Airstream, will be poppin’ up at the Randolph St. Market again this year and she can’t wait to meet you!
The Queen of Specs will be there to help you find your perfect pair of frames – selecting from a variety of fun and funky glasses and sunglasses.
The fabulous Melissa Yen of Jo Snow will also be joining us for the market, serving up specialty snow cones to keep you cool! So make sure you stop by and get a treat!
The Deets:
Randolph St. Market Festival
1340 W Washington Street, Chicago
$8 General Admission/Kids Under 12 Free
For more ticket info go to: http://www.randolphstreetmarket.com
Can’t wait to see you there!
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Filed under: EVENTS!
Get Your Boogie On…AGAIN!!!
Join Eye Spy Optical on Thursday, July 21 for Lakeview Live Concerts on the Curb!
Iris the Airstream had a wonderful time at the June concert! She will be on vacaction in Wisconsin this year, but we will still have plenty of eyewear and sunglasses:-)
This fabulous event is being hosted by the Lakeveiw Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Music Exchange and Lagunitas Brewing Company and businesses up and down the block will be gettin’ their groove on to celebrate with sidewalk sales, pop-ups etc!
The bands were great and there were tons of activities for the kiddos – including a GIANT Connect 4 board that you have to see to believe!
And there was beer! Did we mention the beer? Lagunitas was pouring some of their best and most delicious beverages. You definitely won’t want to miss out on that!
AND again….since Iris’s favorite season is summer, we will be giving all of our lovely customers 10% off any sunglasses purchase during the concert!
Details Schmetails:
Who’s Playin’?
When are they Playin’? Thursday July 21st. Things will get started at 5:30pm and will wrap up at 8:30pm.
Where are they Playin’? The band will be set up at the corner of Paulina and Lincoln Ave, but there will be fun stuff going on up and down the street!
Could it possibly be free? YES!!!! The concert is free to any and all who get their butts on down here!
Where are my dancin’ shoes? I don’t know…but you better find them!
You can find more info about the concerts at www.concertsonthecurb.com and on their facebook page.
Stay tuned for info about August 18th’s event!
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Filed under: EVENTS!
Get Your Boogie On!
Join Eye Spy Optical & Iris the Airstream on Thursday, June 16th for Lakeview Live Concerts on the Curb!
Iris the Airstream patiently waited for warmer weather and is excited to be poppin’ up with a fantastic selection of glasses and sunnies! This fabulous event is being hosted by the Lakeveiw Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Music Exchange and Lagunitas Brewing Company and business up and down the block will be gettin’ their groove on to celebrate with sidewalk sales, pop-ups etc!
Iris will have the entire collection of Monoqool 3D eyewear and Theo’s Matali Crasset collab collection, right outside of Eye Spy Optical this Thursday, June 16th for the first of 3 free monthly concerts at the corner of Paulina and Lincoln Ave!
AND….in honor of Iris’s summer debut, we will be giving all of our lovely customers 10% off any sunglasses purchase during the concert!
Details Schmetails:
Who’s Playin’? Jonas Fridle & the Majority – A Chicago based 8 piece Indie Folk Rock band that has been recognized with Song of the Year from The John Lennon Songwriting Competition, First Place in the Great American Song Contest and a nomination for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards!
When are they Playin’? Thursday June 16th. Things will get started at 5:30pm and will wrap up at 8:30pm.
Where are they Playin’? The band will be set up at the corner of Paulina and Lincoln Ave, but there will be fun stuff going on up and down the street!
Could it possibly be free? YES!!!! The concert is free to any and all who get their butts on down here!
Where are my dancin’ shoes? I don’t know…but you better find them!
You can find more info about the concerts at www.concertsonthecurb.com and on their facebook page.
Stay tuned for info about July 21st and August 18th’s events!
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Filed under: EVENTS!, HEALTH!, Non-Profit of the Month, Theo
Each month we donate a portion of sales at one of our events to a local non-profit organization that we admire. This month we are working with Peterson Garden Project and will be donating 3% of our sales from the Theo Trunk Show on June 4th!
In 2010, LaManda Joy started her first organic community garden in a vacant lot on Peterson Ave – a lot that in the 1940’s had been one of the many Victory Gardens that flourished throughout Chicago at the time. Since then, Peterson Garden Project has flourished and there are now community gardens all over Chicago, but what is even more important to LaManda is that her organization has taught hundreds of new gardeners how to grow nutritious food in their own neighborhoods.
Peterson Garden Project’s mission is to recruit, educate and inspire a new generation of gardeners who want to gain control of their food supply, grow their own produce organically, and make urban gardening the norm-not the exception.
“Learning together in the garden, and kitchen, does much more than put fresh, nutritious food on the table. It helps build stronger communities, connect us to cultural heritage, improve public health and create a more sustainable, resilient city.”
Peterson Garden Project isn’t just about gardening:
- Their community cooking school that offers classes and workshops about variety of ethnic cuisines and food cultures which draws upon the diverse backgrounds of the project’s membership. Check out their calendar for upcoming classes like Demystifying Masala: The Secret to Indian Spice Blends on June 2.
- Grow2Give is their volunteer-run program that provides local food pantries and other organizations with donated produce grown in the gardens.
- Senior/Senior, Kids in the Kitchen and Fresh Fridays are free programs geared at educating kids and seniors alike about nutrition and the joys of cooking.
Get Involved!
Go to a tea party! Peterson Garden Project is hosting a Mad Tea Party/fundraiser on June 12 at their Vedgewater Garden. Put on your finest or zaniest tea party attire and help keep the project going!
Get your hands dirty! There are still plots available at some of their community gardens, so sign up, attend an orientation meeting and grow some delicious organic veggies of your own.
Try on some new specs! Come to our Theo Trunk Show on June 4th and pick up a beautiful new pair of glasses – 3% our sales will be donated to Peterson Garden Project!
Peterson Garden Project continues to grow and there are plenty of ways to get involved – take a look at their Website, Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all of the latest gardening news!
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Filed under: EVENTS!, Non-Profit of the Month, Theo
How can we describe how much we love Theo??
With a few photos and by the simple fact that it is Theo that made us fall in love with eyewear. Pure fun, great design and decidedly different.
Along with the current collection of Theo in every color of the rainbow, we are honoring Theo’s Flemish heritage. Theo is designed and made in Belgium….so we are supplying fine beer and chocolates.
The beer comes by way of our neighbor, Bitter Pops, and the chocolate by way of Katherine Anne Confections in Logan Square.
As is our tradition to donate to a non-profit every month, we are supporting the Peterson Garden Project this month, with a percentage of our sales from the Theo Trunk Show:-)
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, EVENTS!, Non-Profit of the Month
Each month we donate a portion of sales at one of our events to a local non-profit organization that we admire. May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month and we are thrilled to be working with the American Brain Tumor Association.
The American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) was founded in 1973 in Chicago and has funded almost $30 million in brain tumor research. They are committed to helping people of all age ranges and with all types of brain tumors through funding research, publishing educational materials and providing training to health care professionals. The ABTA is committed to “the goals of improving, extending and, ultimately, saving the lives of those impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis.”
About Brain Tumors
• There are nearly 700,000 people in the U.S. living with a primary brain and central nervous system tumor.
• Nearly 78,000 new cases of primary brain tumors will be diagnosed this year.
• Approximately 4,600 children ages 0 – 19 will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor this year.
• Malignant brain tumors are the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in adolescents and young adults aged 15-39 and the most common cancer occurring among 15-19 year olds.
How can you help?
Come to our week long Anne et Valentin Pop-up Shop starting on May 14th from 12-5pm at Eye Spy Optical and find a gorgeous new pair of eyeglasses (or two!) – we will be donating a percentage of our sales from the pop-up shop! You can also take a look at their website and and like their facebook page to keep up with their latest news, for resources for you and your loved ones who have brain tumors, and to find out how you can volunteer your time.
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, EVENTS!
It is our lucky week!! The day after Friday, May 13th, we will be having an Anne et Valentin Pop-up Shop all-week long…beginning on Saturday the 14th from 11-5pm. With their newest releases *and* all of the styles and colors in their current collection, it’s going to be amazing!!
Continuing our lucky streak, Anne et Valentin introduced a ton of purple into their new and current collection! They must have read our mind…or just finally listened to us;-)
BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE!!!
With every purchase of an Anne et Valentin frame and prescription lenses during the pop-up shop, we will throw in FREE, yes FREE, anti-reflective coating…which is usually $125!!
The Pop-Up Shop continues for a week until Saturday, May 21st at 3pm and culminates in a Grand Cirque de Printemps at Eye Spy until 6pm…or whenever we feel like kicking you out:-)
For our French-circus themed soiree, JoSnow will be joining us to provide boozy snow cones! No circus is complete without cotton candy, caramel corn…and accordion music!!
As you know, each month we donate a portion of sales from our event to a local non-profit organization. May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month and we are thrilled to be working with the American Brain Tumor Association.
A bientot!! In other words, see you soon!!
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Filed under: EVENTS!
We get fired up at Eye Spy about environmental issues. We are avid reducers, reusers and recyclers. So, when Earth Day rolls around, it’s hard for us to figure out what to differently to help Mother earth. This year, we racked our brains….and came up with some great ideas, or at least we think so!!
We asked the lab that cuts our lenses to save the cut and edged lenses that would normally be thrown away. We have a few boxes of them…and had planned to make a spectacular curtain out of them, but that has not happened yet:-( Soon…very soon! In the meantime, we will be using them this month for your benefit!! Drumroll please…
First, we filled up a big (actually, huge) mason jar with these lenses….and it is your job to guess how many lenses are in the jar!! If you guess correctly, YOU WIN A PAIR of PlasticDelux sunglasses!!
Next, we are putting together kits for you to take home on Earth Day and make a pendant from the old eyeglasses lenses! It is easy enough for a kid or adult to make…..and the results are super-awesome! If you cannot make it in, here are the instructions for the version pictured below….and here is another similar option
After we pay our taxes, we might go crazy and try and make this pendant….
We are also excited to have everyone write down a pledge that they are making for the month and hang the pledge on our clothes line. It can be a pledge to stop using paper towels, ride your bike more, or anything that you can do to help contribute to making our planet a healthier and more thriving place for all of us to live.
We are also offering a few deals, of course, that are easy on the earth *and* on your pocket book….
65% off all wooden eyewear in-stock
$50 off a complete pair of prescription eyewear if you donate an old pair of functioning glasses that we can send to New Eyes for the Needy
We have instilled green practices at Eye Spy Optical from day-one.
From printing on the back-sides of used paper rescued from local businesses & schools; giving used packing materials to neighborhood business; emailing receipts; online order-entry systems; reusing dishes, cups, and silverware; urging vendors to reduce packaging, shipments, paper invoices & faxes; reducing, reusing, recycling & composting; purchasing used furniture, fixtures & office equipment; using cloth towels instead of paper; giving away felt wine bags instead of paper shopping bags; refilling eyeglass spray bottles with concentrated cleaner; installing an extra pane of glass, insulation & LED bulbs in our storefront and in-store, we tend to go a bit over-board in our desire to lessen our impact on the planet.
Did we miss anything? Let us know!
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Filed under: EVENTS!, FASHION!, HEALTH!
Join us on Saturday, March 19th from 12-4pm!
I don’t know about you, but we are all getting more than a bit antsy in our pantsies for some Spring around here. And what’s better than a new look to start off the spring right?
This year we are really excited to have so many great people joining us for our day of fun. We have invited 2 make-up artists (one more traditional and one more avant-garde), an accessory designer, a skin care guru, and a manicurist to join us for our party!!
Makeup!
Ursula came highly recommended by our very own Specs Wrangler, Patsy. They worked together when Patsy needed a makeup artist for her senior thesis fashion shoot. She’ll be doing FREE mini-makeovers and giving makeup tips.
Sky Cubacub can decorate your face with rad makeup designs & decorate your body with her amazing handmade accessories!
Nails!!
Jenny from Noktivo Salon will be painting your nails with beautiful nail polishes that are good for you & the planet!
Skin Care!
And Dr. Jan Iwata will help you make your skin lovely for Spring with her new line of natural skin care products: Radiant Beauty Orangics!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a party without some delectable treats to nibble and beverages to sip.
Bring your friends and shake off that last bit of winter while having some fun and trying a new look – you might even find a fabulous and funky new pair of glasses that completes your fabulous spring makeover:-)
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Filed under: EVENTS!, KIDS!
Join us on February 20th for a day full of kid friendly fun!
Shake off those winter blues and get out of the house for a day at Eye Spy!
*826Chi will be in the store with a selection of spy gear from their spy shop The Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co. (formerly the Boring Store). They will also have info about their kids writing workshops for you to peruse as well as some writing samples by some of their very talented young authors to read.
*Get a jump start on your spring cleaning by bringing in books that are ideal for kids 8-18. It is cold out there and this is perfect reading weather – bring in your old books and exchange them for something new to cozy up with.
*Snacks for nibbling and some hot cocoa to wash it down and warm you up.
*Girl Scouts from will be hanging out selling those cookies you have been waiting all year to buy.
A portion of all purchases will go to 826Chi, so get those stir-crazy kids out of the house and help support a great Chicago organization!
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