Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Anni Shades, Caroline Abram, EVENTS!, Francis Klein, Mykita, Niloca, Piero Massaro, Rapp, RES/REI, Sabine Be., Theo
Who doesn’t love a sale? Last year, we had people waiting at our door on the first day of our sale! And for good reason.
We have select styles of Mykita, Gentle Monster, Francis Klein, Anne et Valentin, Theo, Niloca and more on sale for 25%, 50% and 75% off! We even ordered over 50 frames exclusively for our sale that we are marking-down right now …so stop by starting on Monday, January 2 for the best selection!
Did you know that we are open everyday in January?! Yep….so you have plenty of chances to scoop up a great deal, and have no time for excuses! Our January Hours: Sunday & Monday from 12-5pm, Tuesday through Friday from 11-7pm and Saturday from 10-6pm.
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Anni Shades, Caroline Abram, EVENTS!, February 31st, Francis Klein, Gentle Monster, Kaenon, Niloca, Oliver Goldsmith, Rapp, RES/REI, Rigards, Spectacular Sunglasses, Super, Theo, Thierry Lasry, Unique Frame Lines
We are getting ready for our AUGUST SUNGLASS SALE !! 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 10-75% 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 throughout the winter!
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Filed under: Anni Shades, 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.
Laura Boton, Owner of Sine Qua Non Salons
Laura’s wearing a dreamy pair of Anni Shades Oleg frames. Anni Shades are made in Ohio by hand and can be custom made in almost any color you like!
In 1993, Laura was a frustrated stylist. She wanted to work in a salon where “freedom, creativity and flexibility could exist for the stylists, and comfort and acceptance would be a priority for our guests, ” instead of the run of the mill mico-managing she had experienced in the salon industry.
With a little help, a lot of hard work and $25,000 borrowed from friends and family, Sine Qua Non Salons was a dream come true!
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Fun Facts About Laura:
How long have you been in business? 21 years
Who was your teenage celebrity crush? David Cassidy & Micky Dolenz
If you could be any animal, what would it be? Dog
Are you right or left handed? Right handed
What is your eye color? Brown
Where did you grow up? Des Plaines, the City of Destiny
What hood do you live in? West Rogers Park
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Laura was in that first location, an old house at at 2944 N Lincoln for 5 years. She moved to her current location in 1998 after a failed bid to buy that building (which no longer exists) and has continued as a go-to for the stylish people of Lake View.
Laura loves what she does, “Its been a great ride!”
Sin Qua Non Salons * 3417 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60657 * 773.404.8789
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Anni Shades, EVENTS!, Francis Klein, Lafont, Niloca, Rapp, RES/REI, RVS, Theo
We are even more excited than you are!! Why you ask? Well, we have a new custom, colorful, handmade line on the way to Eye Spy in January…and frankly, we need somewhere to put all the new frames. We don’t have any extra room at Eye Spy, so that’s where the sale comes in!!
For the ENTIRE MONTH OF JANUARY, our handmade eyewear will be discounted from 25% to 75% off, with prices as low as $99!
Swing by to check out deals over a 100 pairs of frames including Theo, Anne et Valentin, Rapp, Res/Rei and Mykita. Best of all, we will have of Lafont, Francis Klein & RVS frames that will be up to 75% off! Treat yourself to a new look for the New Year!
We are also having a Friends and Family Event! Join us on Thursday, January 15th from 11-7pm for 15% off prescription lenses as well as additional frame discounts.
Show your loved ones how you shop local and purchase handmade products that last:-)
We will have snacks & drinks upstairs…and in the downstairs family room, movies will be playing for the kiddos…along with freshly-popped corn! Honestly, what more could you want while shopping for glasses?
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Filed under: Anni Shades, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, RES/REI
It is that time again…Help me welcome our newest Customer Of the Week, Dave Rentauskas!
Give Dave a round of applause everyone!
We didn’t choose Dave for our Customer of the Week just because he has great taste and picked up 2 amazing pairs of glasses.
We also recently had the pleasure of working with him on our Shop Local. Shop Lincoln photoshoot, where he took photos of local business owners wearing Eye Spy Optical specs.
Shop Local. Shop Lincoln. Luke from Dinkle’s Bakery
Jessica from Sugar Fix
Dave’s photos are even better than we could have hoped and we are definitely looking forward to working with him again in the future. If you want to see all of the Shop Local. Shop Lincoln Portraits, keep an eye on our Facebook page – we will be posting them all month!
You can find out what Dave is up to by checking out his website, Facebook, or Instagram….and check out this great self-portrait from a Black Friday shoot!!
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Anni Shades, Caroline Abram, EVENTS!, Francis Klein, Rapp, Theo
Yep, it’s what you have been waiting for all year…the new 2015 eyewear collections straight from Paris!!!! Hollah!
While the Queen of Specs takes the long voyage to Paris every year, and suffers while doing so (just kidding!), we make it easy on all of our customers by inviting the representatives from a small selection of our lines to Eye Spy on Saturdays on November. We tried to mix it up a bit this year…so we hope you are as excited as we are!!
Which show should you put on your calendar, if you cannot attend all of the shows? Good Question.
Here are links to the lines that we are showing…Take a peek and see which ones might be your soulmate!
11/1: Rapp and Anni Shades -select shape and color and have a custom pair made just for you!
11/8: Francis Klein- select shape and color and have a custom sparkly pair made just for you!
11/15: Caroline Abram- sexy cat-eyes at an awesome price!
11/22: Theo eyewear- incredible colors and shapes in acetate and metal!
11/28: Anne et Valentin- very wearable shapes and colors…in unexpected combinations!
AND if you want a private showing on the Sunday following each show…just call us at 773.477.2670 or email us at [optician at eyespyoptical.com] for an appointment 
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Filed under: Anni Shades, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
Welcome back to the same bat channel and bat place! Allow us to introduce Todd, who was actually one of the first people that the Design Maven helped when she started at ye ole Eye Spy.
Todd came in looking for something different and fun. His first pair of Eye Spy frames was an RVS frame in a matte black and speckled tortoise. He loved them so much that he added a second pair of Anni Shades that, sadly, bounced out of his bike bag. He was looking to replace his beloved lost frames. (Hopefully someone found them that really needed them, right?)
Todd found this beautiful Anni Shades Glimpse frame with a secret aqua accent…
Todd is really lovin’ his new frames and hopefully these will *not* bounce out of his bike bag. Below is his first pair of Eye Spy glasses. We did notice that he somehow scratched his lenses, and replaced them under his scratch warranty!
Thanks for being so much fun to work with Todd and such a good sport on one of the Design Maven’s first days!!! (Ya know, back a few years ago.) And…if you know a student at New Trier High School, they might recognized Todd as a fabulous history teacher! Have a great school year everyone and congrats to Todd for being Customer of the Week!!
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Filed under: Anni Shades, EVENTS!
June brings us Father’s Day, but around here we are simply celebrating all of our important men, whether it’s your dad, brother, best dude or significant other. We have lined up an *awesome* assortment of new stylings for your favorite guy.
At the top of the list, Anni Shades will be here with their expertly handcrafted wooden frames. Did we mention that they are made in the midwest? Ohio, to be exact.
Also joining us for the day will be Carolina from Trumaker with custom-made menswear and ties!
Finally, Adreana will be giving complimentary massages to help you relax & enjoy the weekend!!
Bring your best dude & pick out some new fancy duds on Friday, June 13th from 4-7pm.
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No Eye Spy event would be complete without some booze and snacks! We will also be donating a percentage of our profits to Active Transportation Alliance.
To top the day off, we will have our annual Freaky Friday Sale in celebration of Friday the 13th! All frames in- stock are 13% off!!
Come celebrate your best guy, our Design Maven’s birthday and Freaky Friday!
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Filed under: Anni Shades, EVENTS!
We have been dying to know how the guys at Anni Shades make all those beautiful wooden frames! Come on now, you know you are in the same boat as us, with all of those beautiful styles and colors they have created! You can basically get a rockin’ wood frame in *ANY* color your heart desires! Talk about dreamtown! If you haven’t felt these frames in your hand, you should really fix that by stopping by Friday evening or Saturday. Phillip, of Anni Shades, will be here talking about his process and the reasoning behind the 8 layers involved in each frame. He will also reveal how Anni Shades keeps their business as socially and ecologically responsible as possible. Head on over, meet Phillip and have a chat… along with some empanadas on Friday.
Meet the Maker from 5-7pm on Friday, November 22nd.
Can’t make it to Meet the Maker? Have no fear! We will have the whole dazzling Anni Shades collection on Saturday for the fourth installment of our November trunk shows!
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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Anni Shades, Francis Klein, Mykita, NEWS!, Oliver Goldsmith, Rapp, Super, Theo
Documented for the Capture the Road, a cross country photography project by Chris Hershman & Amanda Farmer…Eye Spy’s new video lookbook is nothing short of fabulous! Sit down, relax…and feast your eyes on the hand-crafted eyewear and beautiful scenery.
Capture The Road Presents: An Eye Spy Optical Film from Chris Hershman on Vimeo.
Chris and Amanda are city dwellers and long-time friends with one thing in common; their many passions and talents don’t fit neatly inside “the box”. On July 16th, they took a break from their 9-5s and made a 12-day-long road trip across the country.
Their goal on this journey was to step outside of the box, meet new people, see the countryside, capture beautiful images, and explore the many facets of themselves. This is where they documented their journey as artists, philosophers, travelers, and lovers of people. This is where they captured the road.
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