Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Francis Klein
Hi all! These truly are the dog days of summer, so we chose our wonderful customer Victoria and her cute pup, Splash, for our Customer Of The Week!
At Eye Spy Optical we LOVE glasses and we LOVE dogs, so when Victoria came in to pick up her new glasses and brought along her furry little friend, we were thrilled and HAD to have a picture of both of them!
Victoria has been a customer for a few years now and on her last trip here, she picked up 2 pairs – first, a gorgeous pair of claret red and minty green Anne et Valentin Minilook. The more traditional shape makes these are perfect for professional settings but have that gorgeous color that looks so great with Victoria’s coloring.
She also decided on a pair of Francis Klein Club frames with a floral silk print. We love how light and easy-going this pair is – perfect for summer garden parties and brunching outside!
Victoria is happy with her new summer frames and Splash gives her paw of approval to both pairs!
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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!, Theo
Time to Tippity Tap Dance for our Customer of the Week….Chuck !!!!
We can’t sing Chuck’s praises enough ’round here at Eye Spy! He is one of the nicest guys and he always knows what he wants…Theos!
Chuck is a lawyer and while he could go the conservative route, he has always been called to the unique silhouettes and fun colors of Theo frames. Chuck came to our Theo Trunk Show and with our Design Maven’s help, picked out a frame that is new to their collection this year – James 5.
The James series frames have a really cool cut-away around the nose and is a deep blue which really accents his eyes! The shape integrates the nosepad into the frame and removes the “extra weight” around the nose creating a frame that misses a “corner.”
Chuck is living proof that you CAN wear funky eyewear to work!
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Theo
Happy Day to Customer of the Week…Phyllis!!!
Phyllis was getting too much attention in her limited edition kelly green Anne Et Valentin Sagan sunglass-turned-optical frame – not the WORST problem to have – so she came in to find something a little more understated…perhaps even “boring.” Our Queen of Specs, Alissa, took on the task and did her best to help out Phyllis by selecting an elegant Move frame by Theo in a soft blue that really complements Phyllis’ eyes and skin.
Unfortunately, Alissa’s attempt at choosing a boring frame wasn’t as successful as she thought, because Phyllis called us up the other day to tell us that she has been getting stopped on the street because of her newest frames too! People just won’t leave her alone! The nerve!
We love the new frames and think she looks amazing. If you want to go tell Phyllis how much you LOVE her glasses, you can find her being a rock star realtor at Baird & Warner, volunteering at PAWS or walking her three rescue dogs….
Next time Alissa will just have to try a little harder…or Phyllis just needs to get used to being a rock star 
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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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Filed under: 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.
Alissa Fields, Queen of Specs at Eye Spy Optical
Alissa is wearing her signature Theo Cinquante in Hot Pink. The bright color really pops on this classic shape and is anything but ordinary – just like Alissa!
Also known ’round these parts as The Queen of Specs, Alissa is the colorful and funky owner of Eye Spy Optical.
Eye Spy Optical came into being after many fruitless searches for red and purple glasses. Realizing that there was a lack of fun, colorful and funky glasses in Chicago, Alissa (a.k.a the Queen of Specs) decided that the folks in Chicago deserve glasses that have some personality!
Since Alissa was a kid, she wanted to start her own business. She had lemonade stands, worked in retail starting at 4 years old in her grandparents’ lamp store and earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Alissa’s parents’ design background guided her interests towards well-designed and beautiful objects. The Queen of Specs wore glasses since the age of 12, and always helped her friends pick out their specs. One day, it finally dawned on her … she would love to have an eyeglass shop and fit people with spectacular specs.
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Fun Facts About Alissa:
How long have you been in business? 17 years
Who was your teenage celebrity crush? Charlie Sheen
If you could be any animal, what would it be? Mandarin Fish
Are you right or left handed? Right handed
What color are your eyes? Hazel
Where did you grow up? Rogers Park, Lakeview, Glencoe, Wilmette and Evanston…Whew!
What hood do you live in now? Mayfair
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Alissa and her staff pride themselves in outfitting customers with frames that are bit out-of-the-ordinary. Many of their customers say that they are surprised at what eyeglasses they choose for them. They always hear how much our customers love their new glasses, how many compliments they receive, how much fun they had picking out frames…and how they will return to Eye Spy again and again!
They stock frames in every color of the rainbow, and sell more red and purple glasses than black glasses. They also do a ton of special orders, so if you are looking for something specific or more sedate, they can help you find it. They have spectacular specs and shades for men, women and kids.
Eye Spy Optical offers personalized fittings, “Try-before-you-buy” digital photos of you in your glasses, expert advice, comprehensive eye exams and contact lens fittings, and honest opinions…about anything and everything!! If you let them guide you and listen to their opinions, it will be easy to decide on your new pair of simply spectacular specs.
Eye Spy Optical * 3350 N Lincoln Ave. Chicago IL 60626 * 773-477-2670
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