Tag Archives: mens eyewear

Filed under: EVENTS!

Lakeview Live Concerts on the Curb #2 – Electric Boogaloo!!!

Written by on July 22nd 2016

Get Your Boogie On…AGAIN!!!

Join Eye Spy Optical on Thursday, July 21 for Lakeview Live Concerts on the Curb!

Iris the Airstream pop-up

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!

Lakeview Live image

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!
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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!

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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!

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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: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Francis Klein, RES/REI

Customer of the Week! BOGO Edition!

Written by on May 31st 2016

We have a Two-For-One Special on Customer of the Week in Aisle 4!

Seth and his lovely wife Minglei wandered into Eye Spy a few weeks ago to select some new frames and we were completely charmed. We knew they just HAD to be featured as our Customers of the Week! Put your hands in the air and wiggle those jazz hands for Seth and Minglei!

MINGLEI AND SETH_B AND  (765x1024)

Minglei needed a couple of frames – one for her distance vision and one for her reading. She loves cat-eye frames, so she got a beautiful tortoise Francis Klein Aries frame that really shows off her eyes and is a beautiful shape on her. We love the sexy secretary look of her Res/Rei Giulia frame – perfect for reading!

 

ARIES A85 529 Res Rei S.r.l

 

Seth picked out one of Anne et Valentin’s newer frames, On The Wave in a shade of green that perfectly complements his eyes.

av on the wave

 

Let’s Get to Know Minglei and Seth! 

Ladies first…Minglei:

  1. What do you do for a living? I work for a charitable foundation. I also manage Chicago Art Deco Society’s Facebook page.
  1. How many glasses do you have? Three
  1. What is your astrological sign? LibraLibra2
  1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that food be? Noodle soups!Eat, Dough, Soup, Kazakh, Plate, Food, Liquid, Noodles
  1. What is your beverage of choice? Just water
  1. Do you have a hobby? Tell me about it! I study fashion and architecture, and I love to read mystery novels.
  1. What is your secret talent? I can do some ballet.
  1. How long have you been wearing glasses? About 20 years.
  1. Would you rather: tap or swim for a whole day? Tap!
  1. What is your guilty pleasure song? “Beat It” by Michael Jackson
  1. What is your favorite place on earth? Chicago
  1. What is your favorite moment? The first warm day after my first winter in Chicago.

You can find some of Minglei’s posts for the Chicago Art Deco Society on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chicagodeco/

art deco flapper

 

And now Seth!

  1. What do you do for a living? I’m a health care policy expert working in the big data space.
  2. How many glasses do you have? Two pairs.
  3. What is your astrological sign? Tiger 2015-tiger
  4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that food be? Chinese noodle soup
  5. What is your beverage of choice? Dark Matter coffee dark matter
  6. Do you have a hobby? I’m active in community service as a director of Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR), a downtown neighborhood association serving the residents and businesses of Streeterville since 1975.
  7. What is your secret talent? I am a certificated pilot, but I usually just take the bus.
  8. How long have you been wearing glasses? Ever since all overhead projectors started going out of focus at the same time – I wonder why?
  9. Would you rather: tap or swim for a whole day? Prefer something lazier
  10. What is your guilty pleasure song? “Fat” by “Weird Al” Yankovic.
  11. What is your favorite place on earth? Downtown Chicago (when ambulance sirens aren’t blaring too loud)
  12. What is your favorite moment? The first time I stepped on a brand new, totally clean L car

Check out all of the latest and greatest going on in Streeterville at soarchicago.org :) 

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Filed under: NEWS!, Sabine Be., Unique Frame Lines

There’s A New Line We’d Like You To Meet!

Written by on November 13th 2015

We have some new frames to entice and delight you from a wonderful new (to us) designer. Let me introduce you to our newest collection of french eyeglasses, Sabine Be! But first, some background…

The Queen of Specs had been seeing photos of Sabine Be for a over a year….so, when she made her wishlist for the buying show in Paris, Sabine Be was at the top of the list! The Queen likes to carry independent, small, colorful lines that are designed by opticians. In addition, independent optical designers are so nice to work with…and the quality & workmanship is amazing.  Our appointment with Sabine Be was secured for the last day of the buying show. Each day that the Queen passed by the Sabine Be booth, she started drooling and the Specs Wrangler had to pull the Queen away!! Finally, the day arrived! And the clouds parted…..

sabinebecats

Are you in LOVE yet?  Everyone here at Eye Spy Optical have a bit of a crush, especially on this sassy little cat ear number.

Sabine grew up with a love of design, fashion and eyewear – both parents were involved in the optical world.  She knew she would grow up to be a designer of some sort.  So after years of work as an optician, Sabine started her own line of unique and colorful frames.

You may not know this but opticians make THE BEST eyewear designers. They pay attention to the little things –  what will fit well, what will look good, what will feel comfortable in a frame.  Sabine Be is comfortable and fun to wear.  She uses beautiful colors and pairs them with fun and easy to wear shapes.

sabinebe2

 

They are also beautifully made – Sabine has her frames made by hand at a small, well-known eyewear factory in France.  Detail and quality have served as her guides she has been recognized by the eyewear design world for her talents, she was recently nominated for the prestegious Grand Prix Silmo d’Or 2015 in Paris.

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We have a great selection of Sabine Be’s women’s and men’s frames as well as some fantastic accessories. Consider yourself warned…you may squeal with delight when you see them. :)

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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Unique Frame Lines

Customer Of The Week!!!!

Written by on September 21st 2015

Hey everyone!  We have a new customer of the week! Say hi to Hawke!

HAWKE_Y

Hawke came in needing help fixing an old pair of glasses that had fallen prey to the tiny hands of a grabby child – kids can’t seem to resist the siren song of a pair of glasses…before you know it SWOOP! they are off!

We were able to help him get his old frames back in order, but he realized that he might want to get a new pair since it had been a while since he had updated his glasses game.

Hawke has a low bridge and frames that come with nosepads tend to keep those specs where they need to be, but liked the bold look of plastic frames!  Patsy, our Specs Wrangler, got right down to it select the always fantastic, Fame frame by Anne et Valentin. He liked it so much that he decided to get it in 2 colors!

AV FAME U157

 

The black and charcoal frame is a great alternative to a boring black frame.  It still has the clean lines that you get from a black frame, but the matte plastic on the front add a textural element that keep this frame modern.

AV FAME U205

Tortoise plastic is classic and softens this grey metal frame bringinging elements of dimension and light.

It is amazing how different the same frame in two different colorways look!

Hawke is now rocking his new frames and feels like a million bucks.  I hope he can keep those little kid fingers away from them!

 

 

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Theo

Totally Tops Customer Of The Week!

Written by on June 2nd 2015

Time to Tippity Tap Dance for our Customer of the Week….Chuck !!!!

CHUCK_S

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.

TH_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: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Unique Frame Lines

Customer Of The Week!!!

Written by on May 19th 2015

Clap your hands for our new Customer Of The Week…Calvin!

CALVIN_W

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.

PM_Natura Collection

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: Rapp, Shop Local. Shop Lincoln

Shop Local. Shop Lincoln: Sam & Willy’s!

Written by on May 5th 2015

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.

Tom Daniels, owner of Sam & Willy’s

Tom is sporting a snazzy Dean frame by Canadian eyewear company, Rapp. They are known for their unique materials and cool shapes.

Tom is sporting a snazzy Dean frame by Canadian eyewear company, Rapp.

 Tom is the owner extraordinaire of Sam & Willy’s which is, in our opinion, the best pet shop around.   He is a long time animal lover, but when he and his lady added a dog who had some special nutritional needs to their family (they already had 2 cats), he realized that there weren’t any places where he could get what he needed for his pup.  So he did what many business owners do, and started the very business he had been looking for, a neighborhood pet store where people could get nutritious food and pet supplies, and a little advice from knowledgable staff.  He named the store after that dog, Sam, and his cat Willy.

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Fun Facts About Tom:

How long have you been in business? 12 years

Who was your teenage celebrity crush? Farrah Fawcett

If you could be any animal, what would it be? Dolphin

Are you right or left handed? Right handed

What color are your eyes? Grey

Where did you grow up? Cleveland, OH

What hood do you live in now? Lincoln Square

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Tom’s favorite part of owning Sam & Willy’s is helping people who come into his store looking for help with a particular issue that their pet is having, educating and connecting with  his customers.  He also loves being a part of the community, working with many of the local animal rescue groups.  His is not a shop where you feel like an anonymous shopper, Tom wants to work with you to make sure your pet’s needs are being met.

Sam & Willy’s will be celebrating its 12 year anniversary this Spring, so stop in, say hi and pick a treat for the furry animal in your life!

Sam & Willy’s   *  3405 N. Paulina St. Chicago Il 60657 *  773-404-0400

Sam&Willy's5

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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Shop Local. Shop Lincoln

Shop Local. Shop Lincoln: Dinkel’s Bakery!

Written by on April 22nd 2015

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.

DINKELS_LUKE

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.

Dinkels_sign

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, Theo

Shop Local. Shop Lincoln: Frasca!

Written by on April 11th 2015

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.

Nate Judson, Chef at Frasca

Nate is wearing a slick pair of Theo Huitante+Huit. The bold black and bright neon green really pop on this frame.

FRASCA_NATE

Nate has been cooking up a storm for many years now – an interest inspired by watching the Frugal Gourmet as a kid on PBS after school.  After graduating from Kendal College in 2008, he went on to work at many of Chicago’s great restaurants: 312 Chicago, Alinea, Francesca’s Restaurant Group, as well as a period of working in LA with Gordon Ramsey (don’t you want to know what that was like?) He returned to Chicago because he missed the city and chefs he had gotten to know working here and so he decided to come back home and has been at is loving the opportunity to cook for Frasca.

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Fun Facts About Nate:

How long have you been in business? 7 years

Who was your teenage celebrity crush?  Sarah Michelle Geller

If you could be any animal, what would it be? Red-Tail Hawk

Are you Right or Left handed?: Right handed

What color are your eyes? Blue

Where did you grow up? Lake Villa, Il

What hood do you live in? Logan Square

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Nate loves the freedom to create in Frasca’s kitchen and has been making some killer Rissotto – his favourite dish to cook. He describes cooking in a kitchen as controlled chaos and digs the constantly changing environment and creative outlet that it provides.

His favourite thing about Frasca is that the menu is contstantly changing and that it is such a neighborhood institution.

Frasca * 3358 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60657 * 773-248-5222

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Theo, Unique Frame Lines

Cool Customer Of The Week!

Written by on April 1st 2015

Snap those fingers like you are in a french jazz club for Carl, our newest Customer Of The Week!

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Carl came into the store on one of those cold pre-spring days to look at new frames.  He was wearing a pair of Anni Shades Glimpse frames and was ready for something a little different.

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He ended up leaving with two funky new pairs of specs that are perfect for the warm sunny days that are on their way.

AS GLIMPSE

Carl has loved wearing his Anni Shades Glimpse and was ready for a new look, so our Optical Oracle suggested he look at some metal and acetate frames.

CINQUANT+7

Carl put on a pair of Theo Cinquante+Sept in bright orange and couldn’t take them off. The color looks amazing on him and because the frames are titanium, they are light and comfortable.

TH MILLE+13

He was also drawn to the chunky black Theo Mille+13. The matte and shiny textures create a fun contrast and makes these glasses anything but your basic black acetate frame.

Carl feels like glasses are one of the best accessories that men have, and we couldn’t agree more!!! He was a delight to work with and we hope he loves his new eyewear wardrobe as much as we do.

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