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: EVENTS!
Iris the Airstream was cooped up all winter and is so excited to get out and show off that she has been gettin’ around town this summer (yes, it really IS summer!) as part of our Pop-Up shop.
You may have seen her chillin’ in front of the store during our Theo Trunk show. She LOVES ice cream and gelato and sampled some local sweet treats at spots like Black Dog Gelato and Bobtail in June. She also made her way over to the Lincoln Square Farmers Market and all the way down to Modern Cooperative in Pilsen.
Iris still has big plans for the summer. In August she’ll be poppin-up at Coyle+Herr on the 13th, Humboldt House on the 15th, Sprout Home on the 28th, and Randolph Street Market on the 30th. In September she will be at Modern Cooperative on the 11th and on the 18th you will find her visiting her friends at the Chicago Mosaic School for the the Ravenswood Art Walk.
Stop by, say hi, get a tour and try on some spectacular frames!!!! We always have treats and drinks for visitors:-)
If you have a local, independent business, and would like Iris to visit your shop, just give us a ring or drop us a line! And don’t forget to Follow us on Facebook for an up to date list of summer pop-ups.
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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: 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: 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.
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.
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: 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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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Theo, Unique Frame Lines
Snap those fingers like you are in a french jazz club for Carl, our newest Customer Of The Week!
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.
He ended up leaving with two funky new pairs of specs that are perfect for the warm sunny days that are on their way.
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.
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.
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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