Filed under: Shop Local. Shop Lincoln, Theo
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.
Katherine McHenry, owner of Building Blocks
Katherine is wearing a pair of playful and flirty fluorescent red Theo Mille +26 frames. After modelling these frames for us, she decided that she loved them…and purchased them!!
Katherine, a self proclaimed “educator-wannabe, play ambassador and retail aficionado” opened her store in 1996. This wasn’t her first business though, she got her start at 9 selling candy out of her apartment in Queens, NY. She dabbled in retail for a while and worked in accounting, but it wasn’t until she opened Building Blocks that she really found her passion. “Serving families with educational, developmental and play-based products” is what really floats Katherine’s boat.
*************************************************************************************************
Fun Facts About Katherine:
How long have you been in business? 18 years
Who was your teenage celebrity crush? Rob Lowe
If you could be any animal, what would it be? A bird
Are you Right or Left handed?: Right handed
What color are your eyes? Brown
Where did you grow up? Queens, NY
What hood do you live in? West Edgewater
*******************************************************************************************
Katherine is a busy woman. She not only has two stores, she opened the Wicker Park location in 2008, but she also is a mom. Tai and Linh keep her on her toes and get to test drive all the best toys!
Make sure you stop in the next time you need a toy for a little person in your life. Katherine will be happy to help you.
Building Blocks * 3306 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, Il 60657 * 773-525-6200
Continue Reading >
Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
Put your hands together, my friends, and help me welcome the one…the only…HOT DOUG!!!!
Hot Doug is so suave (you thought I was going to say hot!) in his new Anne Et Valentine Fame frame.
Hot Doug is well known ’round these parts for serving up delicious salty encased meats (hot dogs!) for the past 13 years at the Chi-town institution, Hot Doug’s.
You can’t get the dogs anymore, but you CAN still get a T-Shirt!!!
He closed up shop in October, but you can still outfit your friends and family for your Hot Doug’s fan club at his website.
Don’t worry, he isn’t going to retire and disappear (though he may decide to take a long nap) and will be pursuing other exciting opportunities soon – maybe a charity, something that gives back to Chicago…we think he should persue an acting career!
Chi-Town Showdown: George Wendt-Jitsu vs Hot Doug-Fu from Wolf Point Media on Vimeo.
Whatever he decides, Doug is ready to for his next adventure in his cool new green and black Anne Et Valentin Fame frames.
Doug’s career in encased-meats might be over, but Fame will help him get through his days!
Known as a friendly guy, Doug made friends with people all over the country (a few weeks ago he ran into a guy who recognized him when he was on an RV trip down south!) He even gave our Queen of Specs a free veggie dog one day when she took her princesses out for a bite and forgot her wallet. Awwe!
So, my friends, if you see Hot Doug around, say hi and make sure you compliment him on his new specs. And, as Doug said when he left Eye Spy the other day, Happy Cholidays!
Continue Reading >
Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Theo
Hey Peeps! It’s that time of the week again, meet Sophia our jazzy new Customer of the Week! She’s frame twins with Alissa, the Queen of Specs! Sophia really wanted to jazz it up with her new frames, and she made a bold choice going from a rimless frame to these Theo Mille+25 frames. She pulls it off so well, we are so glad she took the leap!!!!
Thanks for being so brave Sophia!!! Oh, and for being our Customer of the Week!
Check out the Queen of Specs in her Theo Mille+25 frames. Alissa’s frames are fluorescent pink! What else would she choose?! Too bad we didn’t get a photo of Sophia and Alissa together:-(
Continue Reading >
Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
Our customer of the week traveled by bubble all the way from Oz…meet Glenda! While she is not covered in pink, this sweet lady has some serious style up her sleeve, and now on her face! Glenda snuck in mere minutes before we closed. Her and Adrienne bonded over their love of this Theo Cinquante+8 frame. (Adrienne dreams of this frame in the cerulean blue color.)
Glenda’s love of this frame hit her like a house, and they sure are dreamy on her. Thanks for being our beautiful Customer of the week Glenda!
Check out the detail on this jazzy frame!
Continue Reading >
Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Rapp
Starting of the month right with a FABULOUS new Customer of the Week!! Meet Mary!
Mary is one of our long time customers who is truly dedicated to her frame wardrobe. So much so that she moved to Maryland (haha, Mary-land) and STILL travels back to Chicago just to get here frames here. This lady has frames for every day of the week! So, we’re totally stoked that she chose this bold Rapp “Bond” frame. These are a hard frame to wear, but she rocks it so effortlessly. Rock on Mary!
Continue Reading >
Filed under: EVENTS!, Oliver Goldsmith, RES/REI, Unique Frame Lines
Come in on July 10th from 12-7pm and grub on hot dogs, s’mores, beer, and dance your face off with White Mystery!!!! White Mystery will be in full swing from 12-1pm. Don’t miss ‘em! Oh, geeze…we almost forgot to mention that we will have the whole RES/REI and Oliver Goldsmith collections in the house!!!
We know you secretly love #throwbackthursday. It’s ok, we do too! Well, we are bringing back some of our old Thursday activities. Back in the day, we had Eye Spy’s Battle of the Bands! Turns out that this throwback will not be a battle, but rather a killer set by the brother sister duo White Mystery! We are so pumped to share our afternoon with these gingers!
We have never, ever had a RES/REI trunk show!!! We are just a tid bit excited about this one! RES/REI takes classic Italian shapes, then updates the shapes and adds a touch of color and/or interesting modern detail. They are handmade with love in Italy. RES REI means ‘the thing’ in Latin. It means an existing object, with substance and form; but it also means a concept, an idea. RES/REI is the ensemble of things that make life around us, in all given forms.
Here are a few teaser images for RES/REI:
Now for some teasers from Oliver Goldsmith:
Did you know that Oliver Goldsmith made Audrey Hepburn’s sunglasses? Think of all those cult films, and 20th Century style icons… yeah, they made those sunnies too. They are particularly dreamy, in that old Hollywood sorta feel.
So come by Thursday, July 10th starting at noon for trunk shows & to rock out with White Mystery!!
Continue Reading >
Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Julbo
It’s a family affair! This trio was just too cute, so we made all three of them the Customers of the Week!!
Meet Kathy, Curt, and their little bruiser, Wil!
Curt has been coming to Eye Spy for frames for some time now. He’s gathered quite the collection of Anne et Valentin frames. His “Factory Eight” frames (pictured here) are his most recent addition. Since Curt developed such an appreciation for the designer, it was only natural that Kathy would end up being just as inspired!
When the family came in to pick up Curt’s glasses, our Anne at Valentin trunk show just happened to be in full swing at Eye Spy. Kathy hadn’t purchased glasses in years, but fell in love with the “Lou” frame in chocolate brown with pink accents. She decided that she needed to look as good as her husband, but needed a very comfortable frame. This titanium frame fit the bill…and will stand up to the wear and tear that certain toddlers can impose on glasses;-)
A special honorable mention goes to the little guy, sporting his super fly Julbo sunglasses. Maybe when he’s all grown up, he’ll join the ranks and carry on the Anne et Valentin frame tradition!
Continue Reading >
Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Spectacular Sunglasses, Thierry Lasry
Proud to announce our newest Customer of the Week: Laura!
Laura holds a special place in my heart because she’s a fellow New Yorker. Laura’s subtle sass and sharp wit (authentic New Yorker traits) were perfectly complimented by the frames she chose. First up: The “Amy” frames by Rapp . This frame kind of called out to her, with the understated nude pink color and the edgy-ness of the brushed metal temples.
Next was the Anne et Valentin “Octet” frame. At first she questioned whether these frames were just “too much”. But I said “You’re a New Yorker…you can wear whatever you want.”
Finally, the cherry on top were the Thierry Lasry “Tipsy” sunglasses. We didn’t get to snap a picture of Laura wearing these glamrock frames, but I can assure you she looks like a badass.
Continue Reading >
Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
We’d like you ALL to meet our newest Customer of the Week: Stephen!
This handsome, blue-eyed fellow decided to customize a pair of Anni Shades! For those of you who don’t know, Anni Shades are the only wooden (yes, WOOD) frames made in the Midwest! And they’re HIGHLY customizable. Taking advantage of that, Stephen chose this “Delray” frame in Ebony wood and selected an aqua blue accent. These far-from-basic frames suit Stephen perfectly, whether he’s going to his awesome job at Google, or brunching it with his hilarious entourage. 
Continue Reading >
Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
Starting off March the only way we know how…WITH A NEW CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
Meet Christie!
Christie had been pining for a pair of glitzy Francis Klein frames with just the right amount of purple and sparkle. After many trials and tribulations, we finally got to the right frame: a customized Francis Klein “Iona” in crystal lavender with pink Swarovski crystal decor…and icy blue temples! We appreciate that she was patient during the grueling process of finding the perfect frame. And we’re so happy she chose these flawless beauties!
Continue Reading >
