Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, HEALTH!, KIDS!
Our Customer of the Week is a kid who knows a thing or two about sunglasses. Raise your juice boxes for Will!!!!
Will is an energetic little guy who loves to be outside so his parents picked up a pair of Julbo Looping sunglasses for him a couple of years ago. He loved them so much that when he grew out of them, it was time to come back and pick up something new. He has grown so much since his last pair that he ended up going home with a cool blue pair of Julbo Bubbles sunnies and we think he looks amazing!
Julbo makes great sunglasses for babies and kids. They are durable and comfortable and we LOVE the bright colors! They also will protect against UV rays, which is ULTRA important in kids since their eyes are still developing and need some extra protecting.
Will is excited to be just like his dad and tags along to give his opinion on Curt’s picks. He just might be an optician in training!
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Filed under: FASHION!, NEWS!, Spectacular Sunglasses
Everyone at Eye Spy has been talking about our newest line of limited edition sunglasses since the moment they came in. They are a genius collaboration between eyewear designer Fakoshima and fashion designer Ria Keburia.
Fakoshima is designed by Konstantin Shilyaev, a graphic designer turned eyewear designer who finds inspiration in Japanese design, fashion, architecture, cinematography and electronic music. His designs blend playful design with a futuristic ideas. “We believe that humans will be androgenic with incorporated elements associated now with robots, androids and new technologies.”
Ria Keburia is a Georgian avant-garde fashion designer who lives in Paris and is well known for her crazy clothing and exciting fashion shows. She worked with Fakoshima to create a line of eyewear to accessorize her SS15 collection.
They found inspiration in candy colors, childhood and toys. They use chunky acetates in fun colors, bold graphic shapes and playful takes on iconic frame shapes – cats, circles and brows.
This collaboration is the bee’s knees and they will instantly put a smile on your face!
Which pair do you want?
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Filed under: EVENTS!
We are getting ready for our AUGUST SUNGLASS SALE, where, once a year we round up all of our sunglasses, and go a little bananas on the discounts.
All sunglasses are on sale from the beginning to the very end of the month! Come by and take advantage of discounts from 10-50% off of almost every pair of sunglasses in the store. Yowza! Just to add to the crazy of the sale, we have also put a a few of our eyeglasses lines on sale for 25% to 75% off!
Come by and let us fit you with lovely sunnies to enjoy for the rest of the summer… and fall because we all know we will be outside as long as the weather allows!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Niloca, Theo
Help me welcome Robin to the Customer Of The Week Club!
Robin’s first visit to Eye Spy Optical was a little bit strange…the Queen of Specs and the Optical Oracle were on at the shop and just moments before Robin stepped in the door, the power had all gone out. This did not deter Robin. She had been sent by one of her fab friends to look at our unique frames and a little power outage wasn’t going to deter her.
She looked around for a bit, trying on frames in every color under the rainbow. A Theo frame caught her eye…part of a limited edition of flourescent Mille specs…in bright blue and green.
I know this is purple…but you can imagine this in blue and green can’t you?
Robin loves color and accessories, so she also wanted to look for something she could wear with her jewel-tone outfits. She tried on Niloca’s Fermie frame and knew she had found her frame-charming. The kalaidesope of amethyst, garnet and carnelian colors was gorgeous with her coloring and would match her hats!
So it was settled…Theo and Niloca frames in gorgeous limited edition colors were going home with her.
We love Robin’s bold choices and think she looks beautiful in both of her new specs!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Theo
Tip your hats to our elegant Customer Of The Week Deanna!!!
Deanna came in after seeing her friend wearing a fabulous pair of glasses from Eye Spy. She wanted a new frame -something bold and colorful – and you know she came to the right place. Patsy, our Specs Wrangler, helped her try on several fun frames. Deanna almost walked out the door in a pair of Rapp cat-eyes, but a very special Theo caught her eye… and she absolutely HAD to have it!
The O by Theo is a frame that is bold and beautiful, but also has a sense of humor. We think that it looks striking on Deanna. Her silver hair and porcelain skin make this frame POP and the fit is nothing but perfect.
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Caroline Abram, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Unique Frame Lines
Our Customers of the Week are a fun and fabulous couple…three cheers for Erin and Tom!!!
Erin and Tom used to live in Chicago, but moved to Wisconsin for graduate school…since Erin is working towards her PhD. She is one smart cookie. They still make the trek all the way down to Eye Spy Optical for our fantastic glasses. The both love fashion and think that glasses are the perfect accessory! They each left with 2 frames – a fun pair and a more serious pair for work.
Erin chose a bright red pair of Anne Et Valentin Amber frames for her fun pair. She had the hardest time deciding which color to get – she would have gotten them all if she could have – but the red was clearly the standout pair!
For her work pair, she also pair of Anne Et Valentin Cozak frames in a warm grey color wtih just a hint of pink at the temples. Did someone say, “sexy secretary”?!?
Tom’s prescription is strong, so he had difficulty see the glasses he was trying. As a result, our Specs Wrangler and Erin got to work and chose a couple of awesome frames for him. Once his lenses were in, he was thrilled with the end result!
He went home with a tortoise and blue Caroline Abram Joel frame that fits perfectly and complements his style perfectly.
And for work, he will be sporting a handsome pair of Anne Et Valentin Modern Time frames with an occupational lens. The occupational lenses allow Tom to see up to approximately ten feet, so he can read and see his computer monitor really well…..but when he needs to drive or see anything far away, he puts on his other pair:-)
We couldn’t love these two more and are sad that we won’t get to see them for another year.
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Theo
Our Customer of the Week is the fabulous Carol !
Carol bought her first Eye Spy frame in 2007 and has been coming back ever since! Most of the glasses she has purchased from us over the years have been Anne Et Valentin frames, but she decided to go in a different direction with a pair of blue Theo Cinquante+6 frames that really bring out her baby-blues!
We love how these specs have a little bit of a cat-eye shape with some modern angles. They are so flattering on Carol and really frame her face beautifully!
She also needed a sunglass, and decided to try out one of CustomEyes‘ amazing custom-made sun-clips. She was amazed at how perfectly they fit her frames!
Carol’s Theos and CustomEyes sun-clips are a match made in heaven and we think she looks bad to the bone!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Unique Frame Lines
Clap your hands for our new Customer Of The Week…Calvin!
Calvin bought his first pair of specs from Eye Spy wayyyyyyyyyy back in 2001 and has been a loyal customer ever since.
On Calvin’s last visit, he was looking for a new pair of cool new specs and our Design Maven, Sara, was quick to find a great pair of new Piero Massaro frames.
These handmade Italian frames are so comfortable and stylish with their handmade acetates and fun details. Eye Spy is one of the few shops in the US to carry these unique frames and the designer only makes 100 of each frame in each color, so you won’t be seeing anyone else in Calvin’s new specs. 
Calvin looks stylish and cool in his new frame and we are sure he is out there getting compliments right and left!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Niloca, Theo
Hi All! It is time for Customer of The Week again, and this time we chose a lovely customer who walked in with a pair of ho-hum tortoise specs, and left with some COLOR! Congrats to Katie!!!!
Katie is a world traveller and a professor in Indianapolis, IN and she knows awesome eyewear when she sees it. She had heard tales of a magical eyewear boutique in Chicago that carried an amazing collection of funky fun eyewear. One early Saturday morning she set out on her journey, in search of this magical oasis. She endured an arduous journey full of stop-and-go traffic and evil construction monsters, but after several hours she made it to the store where beverages were offered to quench her thirst and lovely ladies helped her find the glasses of her dreams.
Katie was wearing a pair of ho-hum tortoise glasses and practically gasped at the rainbow of specs before her. She tried on many pairs, but they were too small, too big, or just somehow not right…that is until she tried on a pair of fun and funky metal pair of Niloca Clockwork glasses in a fun bright orange! They fit like a glove and had fun 3-D details and those dreamy sky blue temple tips! Glasses like these could only come from the mad genius design minds of the folks at Niloca, and they were perfect!
Now you may think that her gorgeous Nilocas are exciting, but wait until you see her 2nd pick…
a bright candy red pair of Theo Mille+12 glasses were singing their siren song to Katie. Lo and behold…Katie tried them on, and again, they too were just right!
We love how they almost GLOW on Katie’s pale skin and light blonde hair.
Katie’s journey was complete and she was happy. She returned home, happy to have found her new favorite eyewear boutique and excited about her cool and colorful new specs. AND, she lived happily ever after.
The End.
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Shop Local. Shop Lincoln
In order to highlight our fellow independent small business owners on our stretch of Lincoln Ave., we asked our photographer, Dave Rentauskus, to take portraits of our comrades in our spectacular specs….along with a few shots of their shops.
Luke Karl, VP at Dinkel’s Bakery
Anne et Valentin makes wearable frames in some great color combos like this orange and black D-Mo frame that Luke is wearing.
Dinkel’s was opened by Joseph K. Dinkel and his wife Antonie opened Dinkel’s Bakery in 1922. He was a master baker in Germany and after immigrating to Chicago, they set out to start their own bakery.
Since then, Dinkel’s has become a Chicago institution and is now being operated under the third generation of Dinkels with Joseph’s son -Norman, his grandson Eric, and his grand daughter and her husband – Sandgren and Luke running the show.
They have kept tradition alive, using many of Joseph’s original recipes still to this day.
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Fun Facts About Luke:
How long has the Dinkel’s been in business? Since 1922
How long ave you been working there? 2008
Who was your teenage celebrity crush? My idol was Wynton Marsalis
If you could be any animal, what would it be? Peregrine Falcon
Are you right or left handed? Right handed
What color are your eyes? Brown
Where did you grow up? Kansas City, KS
What hood do you live in now? Lakeview
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Dinkel’s Bakery has expanded thanks to the wonders of the internet and now people who grew up eating delicious goodies from Dinkel’s can now buy them and serve them to their families no matter where they live by visiting www.dinkels.com.
Dinkel’s is the kind of bakery that puts a smile on your face. Just one bite of deliciousness and you will be hooked!
Dinkel’s Bakery * 3329 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago Il 60657 * 773-281-7300
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