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: Rapp, 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.
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 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
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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: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Francis Klein, Spectacular Sunglasses
This week is a little bit special because our Customer of The Week is someone who has been working for Eye Spy for 10 years! Say Hello to Karla!
Karla is always dressed for fun and when she saw the Francis Klein Royal sunnies, she had to catch her breath. And can you blame her? They must have been designed with Karla in mind! Karla will look great at all of her three (yes I said three!) jobs – a shoe store, a jewelry store and for us!
To say Karla is a bit of a fashionista is an understatement. She is a pro at mixing patterns, textures and colors… so what could be better than sunglasses with a dash of fun, a spinkle of sass and a heap of glitter!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Francis Klein, Rigards
Yep, it is Customer of The Week time again. Wiggle your spirit fingers in the air for….Heather!
Heather’s first visit to our store was a couple of January’s ago. She drove all the way from Indianapolis, Indiana so she could look at our sale frames and was blown away by the amazing selection of fun and funky frames. From that moment on, she was a customer for life!
She has made the pilgrimage to our shop a several times since (bringing friends!) and has collected a wardrobe of truly spectacular eyewear.
On her most recent trip, she picked up a couple of gorgeous frames.
Francis Klein Opera was part of our January sale, and called out to Heather the moment she opened the door. Sparkly crystals and silver studs are pretty hard to say no to, especially when paired with a flirty cat-eye shape.
When she came in to pick up her Francis Klein, she fell in lust with a pair of striking Rigards buffalo horn sunglasses. But she decided she wanted to be able to wear them all day every day, and had us put clear lenses in them. We couldn’t love them more! We love it when customers customize a frame – with a special color, or a special lens – and make the frame truly their own.
We know, you are feeling a little jealous..but don’t worry, there are still plenty of cool specs left for you to take home!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, RES/REI, Theo
Introducing our Customers Of The Week…Ellen and Denny!
Ellen and Denny love unique handmade eyewear so much that they braved the midwest winter weather and travelled all the way from Kalamzoo, MI not once but twice to get their hands on their new specs!
Denny picked up a handsome pair of ResRei Ottone Frames.
They are comfortable and the two-tone color make them an easy pair of specs to wear everyday.
Ellen was a little more adventerous with her choice…
and went home with a bright red pair of Theo Tijl frames. They are a bold statement that look fantastic on Ellen, but she didn’t stop there…
Ellen added a bright yellow custom sun-clip by our favorite sun-clip designer, CustomEyes. The yellow looks so great with the red frame, that everyone here at EyeSpyOptical are dreaming about getting sun-clips for our wn frames!
I hope Ellen and Denny are ready for people to stop them on the street, because they looks amazing in their new specs!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!
It is no secret that we have the most fantastic, talented, and fun customers around, here at Eye Spy Optical! Our current Customer Of The Week is no exception….Say hi to Jamie Barton!!!
Jamie is rocking her custom Francis Klein Wing frame.
Jamie is an international award-winning opera singer, a grammy nominee, and an all-around amazing woman! She travels around singing her heart out and performing in all the best cities. She recently played Henry VIII’s Jane Seymore in ANNA BOLENA with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Jamie and Sara, our Design Maven, became quick friends because of their mutual love for Francis Klein’s sparkly frames. Jamie had a hard choice to make, and ended up deciding she couldn’t live without her two favorites, Wing and Party.
Jamie’s Francis Klein Wing in a custom color and decor.
Jamie really liked the Wing frame, but didn’t see quite the right color and decor combo, so Sara helped her customize her frame and special ordered a frame just for her. It took a few weeks, but Jamie thinks it was definitely worth the wait!
This Special Edition Wing was whispering Jamie’s name!
The Special Edition Wing frame really is like wearing jewelry on your face, and they fit Jamie like they were made just for her. And Rhinestones! She couldn’t resist.
You can follow Jamie’s travels and find out where she will be performing next at her website: http://www.jamiebartonmezzo.com/ or on her facebook page.
We can’t wait for her to perform in Chicago again so we can go see her!
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Francis Klein, Unique Frame Lines
It’s that time again folks, customer of the week time that is. Allow us to introduce Beth, delcared her self the orginal the Pink Lady. Beth tried to find glasses at a shop that shall not be named (aka the Voltermort of Glasses Shops, and yes we did just say that.) She quickly realized that her personailty was just too much for that store. Beth’s lovely daughter Ruth brought her into Eye Spy, turning her over to the thoughtful hands of the Design Maven.
Beth and the Design Maven had a blast picking out these beautiful Francis Klein Bisou frames in sparkly leopard. Not only does she look awesome, she looks like she might teach you to bake or maybe just kick you to the curb, like any Pink Lady would.
Thanks for being such a B.A. Pink Lady Beth you look amazing in your Francis Kleins! We had a blast helping you pick these beauties out!!!
P.S. did we mention that Beth also got a referral discount since her daughter Ruth referred her here! Refer a friend and they save
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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. 
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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!
Hey there all you Eye Spy-ers and funky eyewear wearers! We’d like to introduce you to a first time customer and our newest Customer of the Week: Jaime!!
Adorable Jaime came in to our shop with dreams of her perfect frame. When we asked what exactly it was that she’d been dreaming of, she said she specifically wanted an oversized frame; either red or hot pink. It was almost TOO easy. We opened the Caroline Abram case, and there it was: the perfect frame. It was like Caroline Abram made this red and magenta “Flore” frame just for Miss Jaime! She tried them on…and that was pretty much it. Love at first sight! And to make matters even sweeter, her glasses came back from the lab just in time for her birthday!
So, Happy Birthday Jaime!! We hope you and your specs are very happy together. <3
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