Melissa popped into the shop and picked out a custom Francis Klein frame this summer, as you can tell from her outfit! The color is neutral…with a subtle detail of stripes peeking through the front. This striped material is a middle layer of acetate within the frame, but can only be seen by carving away the top layers of the acetate.
Each pair of Francis Klein frames in our stock is made exclusively for Eye Spy! Much of their collection is laden with Swarovski crystals, but since everything is made-to-order, it’s up to you!
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that food be? Oh wow…tough question! I think it would be Coca Wheats. Old school hot cereal that my mom used to make for me when I was a kid. It is still my go to comfort food!
What is your beverage of choice? This is a tie between Jim Beam & Diet with a lime & La Colombe’s Cold Brew coffee over ice with Splenda and half-n-half
Do you have a hobby? Tell me about it! Yes! I love puzzles & paper crafts, although I work a lot so these hobbies are not regular activities in my life anymore.
What is your secret talent? I size people up very quickly based on their behavior I can usually tag their personality before really knowing them.
How long have you been wearing glasses? Since 4th grade
Would you rather have a time machine that only goes back in time or a time machine that only goes forward in time? Definitely forward in time- I feel what is in the past is in the past and we should only look forward.
What is your favorite place on earth? I have traveled a lot, but for me there is no place like home, Michigan; Pretty much anywhere along the beach in Southwest Michigan.
What is one book, movie or TV show you think everyone should know about? “The Rules of Work” By Richard Templar. This book changed my outlook towards my career and helped me achieve the success that I have with my career and business.
What is podcasts do you listen to on the regular? Serial! Love this series on NPR!
What is your favorite thing about living in Chicago? This is a big city with a small city feel. I see people I know all the time when I am out and about.
You may have seen a new face around here lately…and that face belongs to our new optician, Debbi, the Glasses Guru. Debbi has over 17 years of experience and she sure knows her stuff! She is a wiz at adjustments – she will get your glasses sitting pretty on your face in no time – she hasn’t met a frame she could bend back into shape yet!
We asked her a few questions so you could get to know her:
- How many glasses do you own?
1 optical and 1 sun! (She gave away all her sunnies – this lady has a heart of gold! But, don’t you worry, she will become a glasses addict in NO time!!)
- Do you have a hobby?
I cook, swim, and love shopping – especially for kitchen wear (perhaps due to the fact that her mom has a catering business).
- There’s an EARTHQUAKE! and you can only save 3 things from the gaping hole forming under your apartment, what do you scoop up?
Photo albums, my journal, and of course, my prized possession – my beautiful, brick red KitchenAid mixer.
- What catches your eye at Eye Spy?
The neon yellow Niloca Clockwork frame….and the Theo Mille+26 in fluorescent red….as seen in the above photo:-)
- If you could be any mystical person/creature who/what would it be?
A unicorn with wings – they are so powerful and beautiful…and I could fly!
- Do you have a hidden talent?
I am a wiz at useless trivia…and don’t even get me started with old R&B!!!
- Tell us something that most people don’t know about you.
I grew up on a farm with 30 dogs. (Whoa!!!)
Debbi is extremely patient, easy-going, and great at picking out spectacular specs…and we are sure you will think so too! Come by the store, say hi, and introduce yourself; She is excited to meet all of our fabulous customers:-)
Lake’s mom brought her in for an eye exam with our amazing Eye Doctor. Lake was a teensy bit nervous, but our doctor is great with kids and made it really fun and easy. Lake found out that she was going to need glasses she couldn’t have been more thrilled! As it turns out, she was hoping that she would need them – she LOVES glasses
The Optical Oracle helped her try on kids frames until she found just the right one – a red metal frame that fit like a dream and made her feel like a million bucks!
We LOVE it when kids get excited about their glasses and as you can see, Lake is beaming!
What is her favorite thing to do in the summer time? Surf on vacation
What is her favorite activity or subject at school? Reading
How many siblings does she have? An older brother and younger brother
If she were in a talent show, what would her talent be? Play guitar and dancing
It is almost time for Chicagoland kids to head back to school and all kids entering school for the first time are required to get their eyes examined by an eye doctor. Our docs are low key and make it painless – your kids don’t even need to know their letters or numbers! So visit our website to schedule your little one’s appointment.
Raise your glass because it is time to congratulate our newest Customer of the Week…Cheers Melissa!!!
Melissa was on the hunt for a new frame and our very own Queen of Specs got right to work to help her find a frame that is just as fun as she is – an Anne et Valentin Kodex frame in the prettiest green and pink combo we have ever seen. Melissa loved the unique shape and the little details, and the Queen was in full agreement.
Melissa is the beauty, brains and tastebuds behind Jo Snow Syrups, a delightful local line of natural syrups for spicing up your coffee, cocktails, snowcones…and really anything else that you could pour them on – we think they are especially lovely mixed with a little champagne
Her flavors are surprising and delightful…Blueberry Jasmine, Fig Vanilla Black Pepper, Grapefruit Rosemary…is your mouth watering yet?
What do you do for a living? I am the chief syrup officer for Jo Snow Syrups. I make hand crafted, all natural syrups for coffee, cocktails, sodas & snow cones.
How many glasses do you have? I currently have two pairs that I can actually see out of, plus sunglasses.
What is your astrological sign? I’m a Leo. Madonna & I share the same birthday and Elvis died on my 11th birthday
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that food be? Ok, this may be a strange answer, but goi cuon. They are fresh Vietnamese spring rolls that have rice noodles & veggies & pork or shrimp wrapped inside rice paper. They are usually served with a peanut sauce, but I like them dipped in nuc mum, a spicy fish sauce. The lemongrass tofu ones at Nhu Lan Bakery are my fave. They are so refreshing & light & healthy.
What is your beverage of choice? I love bubbles in any form, so I would have to say champagne, preferably a rose.
What is your secret talent? Hmmm…I have a super sniffer. I am able to smell things others cannot ,which is helpful if there is a gas leak, but not so pleasant in other cases. I also have a pretty darn good palate and can pick out ingredients in dishes pretty well.
How long have you been wearing glasses? I’ve been wearing glasses since the first or second grade. And I think those styles are back in style now. Scary!
Would you rather have a time machine that only goes back in time or a time machine that only goes forward in time? I think only backward in time. I would love to see my husband as a child. The pictures of him are so cute. I would want to see him interacting with others & see how he got some of his endearing & not so endearing habits! I would also love to see what the city looked like a hundred years ago. I would like to see ancient civilizations & see how the continents used to be a giant land mass. I think I would be afraid to see the future.
What is your guilty pleasure song? Sweet-Ballroom Blitz- I once had it as the outgoing message on my answering machine (remember those? Probably not)
What is one book, movie or tv show you think everyone should know about? One of my favorite movies is Tampopo. It is a quirky movie about the quest to make the perfect bowl of ramen. It has many smaller stories happening within the main story. It’s just so much fun. I own it on VHS & DVD. We’ve also projected it on a screen & “cooked” the movie.
What is your favorite thing about living in Chicago? All the different kinds of food we can eat in all the different neighborhoods, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, El Salvadorian, Polish, and Jamaican.
Melissa is the sweetest lady we know and if you haven’t yet, get yourself some of her sweet treats…you will be so glad you did! You can find out more about her and her syrups, snow cones, and other delightful delectables at her website Josnowsyrups.com. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @Josnowsyrupsand go like her page on Facebook – Jo Snow Syrups.
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 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!
Seth picked out one of Anne et Valentin’s newer frames, On The Wave in a shade of green that perfectly complements his eyes.
Let’s Get to Know Minglei and Seth!
Ladies first…Minglei:
What do you do for a living? I work for a charitable foundation. I also manage Chicago Art Deco Society’s Facebook page.
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.
What is your secret talent? I am a certificated pilot, but I usually just take the bus.
How long have you been wearing glasses?Ever since all overhead projectors started going out of focus at the same time – I wonder why?
Would you rather: tap or swim for a whole day?Prefer something lazier
Each month we donate a portion of sales at one of our events to a local non-profit organization that we admire. This month we are working with Peterson Garden Project and will be donating 3% of our sales from the Theo Trunk Show on June 4th!
In 2010, LaManda Joy started her first organic community garden in a vacant lot on Peterson Ave – a lot that in the 1940’s had been one of the many Victory Gardens that flourished throughout Chicago at the time. Since then, Peterson Garden Project has flourished and there are now community gardens all over Chicago, but what is even more important to LaManda is that her organization has taught hundreds of new gardeners how to grow nutritious food in their own neighborhoods.
Peterson Garden Project’s mission is to recruit, educate and inspire a new generation of gardeners who want to gain control of their food supply, grow their own produce organically, and make urban gardening the norm-not the exception.
“Learning together in the garden, and kitchen, does much more than put fresh, nutritious food on the table. It helps build stronger communities, connect us to cultural heritage, improve public health and create a more sustainable, resilient city.”
Peterson Garden Project isn’t just about gardening:
Grow2Give is their volunteer-run program that provides local food pantries and other organizations with donated produce grown in the gardens.
Senior/Senior, Kids in the Kitchen and Fresh Fridays are free programs geared at educating kids and seniors alike about nutrition and the joys of cooking.
Get Involved!
Go to a tea party! Peterson Garden Project is hosting a Mad Tea Party/fundraiser on June 12 at their Vedgewater Garden. Put on your finest or zaniest tea party attire and help keep the project going!
Get your hands dirty! There are still plots available at some of their community gardens, so sign up, attend an orientation meeting and grow some delicious organic veggies of your own.
Try on some new specs! Come to our Theo Trunk Show on June 4th and pick up a beautiful new pair of glasses – 3% our sales will be donated to Peterson Garden Project!
Peterson Garden Project continues to grow and there are plenty of ways to get involved – take a look at their Website, Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all of the latest gardening news!
Say hi to Lizzie everyone! She is our most colorful Customer of the Week yet!
Seriously…Rainbow Brite’s got nothin’ on this girl!
Lizzie is a breath of fresh air…if air were rainbow-colored with a touch of acid. Just think Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat…with more Technicolor.
Lizzie was looking for some new specs to go with her already amazing rainbow wardrobe and heard that the Queen of Specs would have just what she needed at Eye Spy Optical. Dazzled by all the amazing shapes and colors, Lizzie was in heaven the minute she walked in the door. She looked around a bit and something caught her eye…but the Queen of Specs knew exactly what to show Lizzie: A neon yellow and pink limited edition Theo Mille+-4 frame.
It was almost as if that frame had been waiting for Lizzie to visit the shop. As Lizzie put the glowing glasses on, the Queen was not surprised…they were a perfect fit!
Lizzie declared that Eye Spy is “THE greatest optic shop I’ve ever known of. I’m a total convert; there’s no better place that suits my style” and the rest is history!
Let’s get to know Lizzie!
What do you do for a living? I’m a college student (Biology major,) writer, fashion blogger, and multimedia artist. I’m preparing to enter a pre-med program at UIC.
How many glasses do you have? Only one Rx pair, but I want to expand my eyeglass wardrobe so I can coordinate with all of my outfits! I love my current pair; they fit so well into my style! I am eyeing a nice pair of custom Frances Klein glasses, however; luckily I know where to go!
What is your astrological sign? I’m a Libra! I’ve interpreted my birth chart for fun and I have a lot of Aquarius influence as well! I suppose that accounts for the eccentricity.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that food be? Vegan ice cream! At least I won’t run out of flavors. Though it would be nice to have french fries to dip in them…
What is your beverage of choice? Every Slurpee flavor layered in a rainbow. None of the sugar-free flavors though; gotta keep the dentist in business!
Do you have a hobby? Tell me about it! I absolutely love making or altering my clothing or accessories, skateboarding, drawing, studying medicine and psychology, playing music, and singing. I’ve had a DIY philosophy ever since I was little; I even dye and cut my own rainbow hair!
What is your secret talent? I’m extremely observant, and I can keenly read people down to the smallest detail, despite being quite shy (even though I’m neon, I’m rather quiet!) I also have a great knowledge base of music, movies, TV, and fashion from decades before I was even born. It’s great because I can track cultural influences and origins down very quickly, and I’m certainly never bored! It also impresses people who are years my senior, who I often find I share more in common with than my peers!
How long have you been wearing glasses? Ever since I was 10, so about 14 years. I went through contact lens phases, but mostly because I wanted 50 pairs of fashion glasses to swap out whenever I wanted. I think glasses look great, and rarely have I been seen without them since adulthood. (She is our kinda gal!)
Would you rather: tap or swim for a whole day? I’d love to swim for a whole day! That was all summer for me as a kid. My mom and grandma used to say I was “just like a fish,” because it was near-impossible to get me out of the water. I’m still the same, as long as the water’s warm enough.
What is your guilty pleasure song? I’m very open and honest about the immense variety of music I listen to, but I’d say “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer or “Holiday Road” by Lyndsay Buckingham. They may be a bit cheesy, but those harmonies get me every time.
What is your favorite place on earth? San Francisco. I’m just another eccentric there, and I love it. It always reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” quote in reference to this: ‘just another freak in the freak kingdom.’ It’s comforting.
What is your favorite moment? Taking the subway to the Cook County Courthouse on Halloween to marry my husband, the only person I’ve ever fallen in love with. We wanted to do things in our own casual, offbeat way. My mom made a beautiful rainbow bouquet for me by hand, and our whole ceremony is on tape! Easily the most incredible event in my entire life.
Lizzie has a Tumblr blog where she posts fashion, videos, art and anything that inspires her: trashylvania.tumblr.com.
Valentine’s Day was Sunday, so we declare that this is the week of LOVE and I am deeply IN LOVE with our Customer of the Week’s glasses. Give yourself a little hug in honor of Karen!!!
Doesn’t Karen look fabulous in her new glasses?!? This is her first pair of Eye Spy specs, and wow! She chose such a unique and bold frame that fits her to a T.
Anne et Valentin’s Kodex frame is part of a new series that they premiered at the trade show in Paris back in Sept. When the Queen of Specs and the Specs Wrangler saw these beauties, they gasped! The colors, the shapes, the polka dots! It is like they were made for Eye Spy…and they were definitely made for Karen, ’cause when she put them on, it was obvious that she had to take them home.
Let’s Get to Know Karen!!!
What do you do for a living?I work for Georgetown University in Qatar (that’s just north of Saudi Arabia). I’m their Associate Director of Talent Management.
How many glasses do you have? How many do I have or how many do I wear? I have three pair now–four, if you count my prescription sunglasses–but I tend to wear the same pair day after day (indoors anyway!).
What is your astrological sign? I’m an Aries with a Cancer moon. Fire and water, which pretty much equals ash.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that food be? A gooey, hot cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting.
What is your beverage of choice? Skinny lattes during the day. Sidecars (with a sugar rim, please) in the evening.
Do you have a hobby? Tell me about it! I like to write fiction for fun.
What is your secret talent? My friends at work call me the Proofreading Nazi, because I catch flaws in everything (and now I’m praying to God I haven’t mucked anything up with this questionnaire…).
How long have you been wearing glasses? Since I was 9 years old. A very, very long time.
Would you rather: tap or swim for a whole day? Tap! I was a Theatre major and took my fair share of dance classes. It’s fun and you get the added bonuses of music and an audience (with any luck at all).
What is your guilty pleasure song? Anything by P!nk. Though I’m not very guilty about it.
What is your favorite place on earth? Cornwall, UK
Cornwall looks LOVELY!!!
12. What is your favorite moment? When I get off the elevator, coming home from work, and I hear my dog, Oliver, barking with joy from behind my apartment door.
Karen is as interesting as her glasses and we can’t wait for her to visit us again so we can chat all about her travels, her dog Oliver and her next daring pair of glasses.
Put your dancin’ shoes on ’cause Meghan got some new glasses AND she is our Customer of the Week!
Meghan and her husband come in to shop for glasses about once a year and let me tell you – this lady is a complete delight! She likes to try on frames that are a little unexpected and was not finding anything that felt perfect on her last visit…that is until Patsy picked out the ever so sweet Chou frame by Francis Klein for her to try on.
Glitter, leopard print, Swarovski crystals, gold hand painting…what else could a girl want?!? Meghan has a petite face and Chou is a great fit. Her eyes really pop and the color is divine with her ginger hair.
Chou in another pretty color – but is it as pretty as Meghan’s glasses?
These beauties came back from the lab just in time for Meghan to wear them to a work party she was throwing for Revolution Brewing, and from what we hear, she was the belle of the ball! She also told us she was planning on wearing them with a horse dress…and this is pretty much what I imagine she looked like at her party
What is your favorite place on earth?Anywhere with a beautiful view of nature and no cell reception.
What is your favorite moment?Having a beer with my husband at the end of the day
Congrats to Meghan and her new specs!!! She looks fantastic in her fabulous new frames. And if you are thinkin’ about having a party of your own, get in touch with Meghan and you may get a chance to be dazzled by her new glasses yourself!
Get ready to do the wave (yes people still do that!) in celebration of Karen, our Customer of the Week! Karen’s new specs are winners and so is she!!!
New Glasses, Oh JOY!!!
It is a new year and we are happy to ring it in with a face you may recognize. Karen has been a customer for ten years and is now a two time Customer of the Week winner! (Last time she got a particularly cool pair of Gentle Monster frames.)
Karen is one smart cookie. She is a a businesswoman – she is the Founder and Executive Director at the Chicago Mosaic School, a teacher – check out all the amazing classes over at CMS – you need a new hobby right?!? – and an amazing mosaic artist who has shown internationally in Italy, Japan and France (just to name just a few.)
Onward, 2015
Don’t let her impressive resume intimidate you…she is full of sass and you will probably find yourself laughing your face off if you spend any time with her.
Karen has a love for funky eyeglasses and with the help of her trusted friend and optician, Patsy the Spex Wrangler, she always manages to leave Eye Spy Optical with a frame that fits her personality to a T.
This gorgeous Theo Mille+12 is the newest addition to her eyewear collection. We think they are a perfect pair for her frame wardrobe. Theo makes bold and chunky acetate glasses that make a statement. The Mille+12’s structured cat-eye shape is modern and has all the right angles – and the color of this frame is to die for!
If you see Karen out and about ask her for her secret to winning COTW twice and find out where she is headed next. We guarantee you will love her as much as we do!
