Collectors Spotlight - October 2007 - crmnjst
Age: 39 / New York
crmnjst: Now go home and get your shine box.
How long have you been a collector of Oakley items?
About five years since I got my first pair
How did you get into collecting Oakley?
September of 2001 our offices were relocated temporarily to 14th St. and 5th avenue in Manhattan, at the corner was an independent optometrist who had a couple of Tag Heuer sunglasses on the display window that I thought looked pretty cool. Since I had LASIK surgery done 6 months earlier and the only pair of sunglasses I had were RX Randolph Aviators, which were issued to me while in the military, I figured its time to for me to buy my first pair of non-RX sunglasses. I walked into the store and looked around, in the counter a pair of large grey glasses caught my eye I asked the sales person if I could take a look at them, she told me they were made of Titanium and called Romeos made by Oakley I tried them on and they felt great, I asked the price and I believe she said $300.00, I almost fainted and asked her who in their right mind would pay so much for a pair of sunglasses? I remember telling her I liked them but not that much. All that night all I could think about were those Romeos. The next day I went by the store with a co-worker and showed him the glasses and he told me that they were the same glasses in MI2, so I rented the movie that night and they there were getting blown to bits I was hooked and started to plan on how I could justify buying a $300.00 pair of sunglasses.
What is the first Oakley item you remember having?
I did an e bay search on Romeos, found a guy selling a pair BNIB for $100.00 sent him the money and got a pair of X-metal XX, wrong glasses but still a good price for my first pair.
What is your biggest Oakley regret? (if any)
Passing on a second chance offer of $180.00 for pair of Finito Juliet’s on E-bay.
What is your next Oakley purchase likely to be?
Definitely a black dial Holeshot.
What do you consider the "jewel" of your collection?
I would say my Cinder Red Oil Drums because of how I got them, I won them at a Gretchen Bleiler signing at the SoHo O-Store and she signed the box for me, I would have never won them if Bong hadn’t called me and told me that they were having the event at the store. That’s another reason why this site is so great. My 24k Carbon Japanese Exclusive Juliet would also have to share the top spot.
How do you store/display your Oakley collection?
The majority of my collection is in two silver Ikea wall cabinets that I put metal icon stickers on, an Ikea media table and an Oakley Single Tower I got thanks to the best Oakley store manager out there.
Do you have a favorite Oakley retailer?
It has to be the Williamsburg, Virginia Vault. The manager, Chris is great and the Assistant Manager, Tracie is the best.
Do you customize?
All I have done as far as customization is swap out some Juliet lenses and made versions of Carbon Ichiros and Plasma Ti Juliet’s but no lens cutting or nothing like the great customization Oxide has done with his X-Metals.
What other Oakley products do you collect?
I would say footwear. I exclusively wear Oakley shoes and have 26 pairs now and growing. I also love the gloves.
What other hobbies/collections/passions do you have?
I like to snorkel. Cozumel has the best reefs for snorkeling. I also have a sizable Star Wars collection, which is currently stored in bins away from prying little hands. My passion though is my family. Taking vacationing, traveling, and spending time with my children is the greatest thing in the world.
What advice do you have for new Oakley collectors?
Don’t try to go crazy trying to have the largest collection. Just because you have 100+ pairs of glasses does not make you a better collector than if you had only two. It’s all about the love of the product and what it means to you.
What do others think about your Oakley collection?
People have a hard time believing that there are individuals out there who love collecting Oakley. I have had family and neighbors come over to my house and ask me if I am an Oakley dealer because of all the stuff I have. When I tell them I just love collecting the stuff, they think I am nuts to have so many pairs.
What's your fondest/most astounding Oakley memory?
It definitely has to be getting hired to work part time at the Paramus O-Store. Going through Oakley retail training, prepping the store for the grand opening, and going through those hundreds of boxes of Oakley merchandise was an experience I will never forget. Working with the staff at the store has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Being able to work selling something that one is so passionate about and passing on that passion and knowledge to a customer is pretty amazing.
Any final words?
I would just like to give thanks to Dann for eating that chili pepper and making all this possible. All of the members I have met here over the past two years Thanks!
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