BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—This month, Specs Around Town teamed up with clients and opened its doors to participate in a weekend event with the whole community—the steampunk community, that is. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates Victorian-inspired design with modern, industrial aesthetics. Members of the steampunk community attend events where they dress up in costumes that combine antiquated apparel, such as corsets and top hats, with industrial elements like goggles, gears and leather.

Steampunk enthusiasts from all over the nation flocked here in their best neo-Victorian costumes to attend “Cogs & Corsets: A Steampunk Happening.” Specs Around Town, along with other downtown businesses that contributed to the festival, turned its store into a steampunk attraction.

Julie Kubsch, owner of Specs Around Town, was not entirely sure how her luxury eyewear store was going to be a part of the “Cogs & Corsets” event. As a member of the Downtown Bloomington Association, she had helped sponsor the event but was not herself a steampunk fan.

Luckily for Julie, Specs Around Town client Crystal Weer knew quite a bit about the steampunk community. Weer approached Kubsch and offered to decorate the window of Specs Around Town for the upcoming festival. Decked out with Victorian-inspired décor and some spectacular frames, the window was a huge hit.

“Crystal’s window looked amazing—way better than if I had tried to do it myself,” said Kubsch. “I would say we had about 50 to 70 people come into our store on Friday alone, as well as a ton of people who popped their head in to compliment the window.”


Specs Around Town’s creative window
display attracted steampunk enthusiasts
throughout the weekend.
Kubsch’s collaboration with her clients didn’t stop there; Weer also helped Kubsch decorate the store by displaying steampunk-inspired trinkets like teapots and bookmarks that she makes herself. Additionally, another client of Specs Around Town, Duke Chambers, added to the steampunk vibe by lending a unique typewriter that he had upgraded with new tech.

In her store, Kubsch showcased glasses that would catch the eye of any steampunk. She displayed J.F. Rey, Andy Wolf and l.a. Eyeworks frames, focusing on the styles that she thought steampunk fans would appreciate most.


Kubsch showcased her
steampunk-appropriate frames among
Weer’s crafts and Chambers’
unique typewriter.

“It was so fun to set up the displays with our frames that had red or blue mirrored lenses and side shields, which are really popular in the steampunk community,” said Kubsch. She also featured metal, rounded and old-fashioned frames that are commonly worn with steampunk costumes.

To attract even more steampunk customers, Kubsch offered discounts on any purchases made during the festival. Additionally, she gave a free bottle of the store’s branded glasses cleaner—which she nicknamed “goggle wash” for the occasion—to anyone who took a picture in a steampunk outfit with Specs Around Town’s life-size Instagram frame.

“I’m sure we’ll get some return shoppers who discovered us during the festival. Participating in something like this creates an awareness of our shop, especially because we have a lot of unique products,” speculated Kubsch.

“It was really fun to be a part of this community event,” she concluded.

  
Crystal Weer, who decorated the
store window, poses with husband
Barry Weer (l) and dog Mason (r). 		A couple from Chicago shows off
their steampunk style in front of
Specs Around Town.