About this location
A few stories people tell about this place
1. At Site for Sore Eyes, an old optician’s shop in downtown Chicago, customers began noticing something peculiar one foggy morning. As soon as they walked through the door, the voice on the intercom announced, ‘Welcome, myopia sufferer,’ or ‘Hello, astigmatic soul.’ No one knew whose voice it was, but everyone agreed it added a certain charm to their eyeglass fitting. One day, a delivery driver came in complaining about his headache. The voice greeted him with, 'Headache sufferer, your glasses are here!' Turns out, he had forgotten that he already wore them. On another occasion, a neighbor entered muttering about her sore eyes from reading too much. The voice replied, 'Astigmatic soul, I see you’ve been busy!' It became such a joke around town that people started asking for their prescriptions just so they could hear what the voice would say next.
2. At Site for Sore Eyes, an old optician’s shop in downtown Chicago, a regular noticed that every Wednesday afternoon, the same delivery driver would leave his truck with the windows down and walk inside. No one else seemed to notice. One day, the regular decided to follow the driver. Turned out he was buying candy from the vending machine across the street. The next Wednesday, when the driver left his window open again, the regular shouted, ‘Hey, you forgot your truck!’ To which the driver replied, smiling, ‘No, I didn’t.’
3. At Site for Sore Eyes, an old optician’s shop in downtown Chicago, a delivery driver noticed something peculiar on the loading dock one morning—an old pair of glasses with a tiny note attached: ‘Wearer found happiness today.’ The delivery driver picked up the glasses curiously and read the note again, smiling. Later that day, while adjusting someone's prescription, he accidentally swapped two pairs of lenses. The next morning, everyone who visited Site for Sore Eyes left not just seeing better but also feeling happier—and none of them could quite agree whose vision was improved more: theirs or their neighbors'.
4. At Site for Sore Eyes, an old optician’s shop in downtown Chicago, a delivery truck accidentally left behind a crate marked ‘Top Secret’. Curious neighbors peered inside and found themselves staring at a mysterious pair of glasses said to grant perfect vision—and maybe even a little luck. A regular customer tried them on and suddenly saw his reflection smiling back—even though he was bald! Word spread quickly, and soon everyone came for their own pair. The optician laughed, saying it was just a prank from his nephew who worked as a delivery driver. But nobody cared—they were happy with their newfound good fortune.