We had driven around the square in Woodstock, determined to continue on our trip to Minneapolis,…read morewhen either my boyfriend's mom or sister noticed a little shop tucked in among the other stores. They convinced my boyfriend to make another loop around the square and park in front of the quaint shop because we had to check it out. I'm so glad they made us turn around. The Backdrop is a find that is chock full of so many other great finds. This is a gift shop that makes you want to buy a few things for yourself -- which I did. The Backdrop has cards, pillows, trinkets, jewelry, novelty books, home decor and other doo-dads a-plenty. We spent more than the five minutes we told my boyfriend we would take perusing everything. And so many of the finds were very affordable, such as the locket I got for about $15 and a print about beer for $12. The owners -- or at least I believe they are the owners -- were also great to chat with. They had actually been down to Kentucky for Kentucky Crafted, and they had a better knowledge of past Kentucky governors than I have. It was nice to talk to someone who is passionate and easy to talk to about my fave state. It's probably good that I don't live in Woodstock or else I spend way too much money at The Backdrop on a regular basis.

Learning to speak Klingon can be a daunting task. You don't want to pronounce something incorrectly…read moreand find you've just called some temperamental Klingon a butthead by accident. So you can see why it came in so handy when I happened upon this cute shop in Woodstock Square that sold a book teaching Klingon. The Backdrop is one of the more unusual home decor shops I've ever come across. I could look for hours and spend a fortune. There are a lot of unique items such as the aforementioned Klingon book (see pic), weird and creepy mounted doll heads, beeswax art, beautiful handmade jewelry, and a ton of truly unique home decor. It is probably my favorite shop in Woodstock. I feel like you can find something for everyone at this store. If issued the challenge, I dare say I could buy for everyone on my Christmas list here. I could certainly buy a bunch for myself! Items found here are moderate to pricey, but you are definitely paying for a carefully curated collection of items, and in my book, unique equals special, so I very much appreciate finding items here I can't elsewhere. Everything here is unique, even items not for sale, like foam core cutouts and painted decor (that you would never believe were made from foam core in a million years), or yard sticks mounted and used as display shelves. Inspiring is the word I would use. You can really get your creative juices flowing after a saunter through the store. You will think of all sorts of home projects with The Backdrop as the inspiration. As a graphic designer, I admire the imaginative and innovative selections and executions. As a Klingon, I demand it.

Cute shop. Beautiful things. Lots of inspiration & deals. Great prices. Friendly staff. Will be…read moreback again to shop without hubby questioning my vision for our home.

Love this place. Some of the best vintage finds around. If you're into the ever-popular "farmhouse"…read morelook, this is your place. Found the coolest vintage food scale here! Always on my to do list when I visit Woodstock.

What a cute place. Very underrated. I got a super fun bumper sticker but if I was going for a…read morefriend's birthday or holiday time I would buy more. There's such a wide selection and it's layed out really well. The staff was pretty friendly too and there was no line.

This small gift shop in Crystal Lake has a little bit of everything. It was pretty busy here at…read morewhilst I was visiting because it was the day of the Johnny Appleseed Festival. They have a lot of baby items here, which was a bit surprising. They have other decorative tchotkies; when I was in it was late September, so there were Halloween themed goodies to be had, as well as some Thanksgiving decor. They had a Halloween tree... like a ceramic Christmas tree that you sometimes see with the little pieces that fit into the boughs of the ceramic tree but in orange and purple. When did we start having Halloween trees? I also saw some jewelry and other gifts. It's not the shop I would go to Crystal Lake for, but I have been curious about this shop the last couple times I have been in Crystal Lake so I'm glad I stopped in this time.

When I've been in Crystal Lake other times, I've wondered about this shop but have either not had…read moretime to stop in it or it has been closed when I've been there. Today when I was in town I took the opportunity to walk around a bit. There are a lot of nice looking housewares and decor throughout the store. It's actually quite large, and had an upstairs design area as well. Lots of pillows, furniture, wall art, and so on. The women in the store were busy with other customers when I and others entered, but once she was done she came and welcomed us to the store and asked us if we needed any assistance. There wasn't anything I needed and between buying some other home decor items and spending money with guests visiting, I didn't really want to spend any money and just wanted to take a look around. There was one item I found, a navy-colored, ~leather, mirrored tray; however, when the two sizes were $60 or $90 and when I turned it over I there was a big made in China mass production sticker on it, which was pretty disappointing for a store that has so many items that appear to be locally made or at least have a local flavor. I would visit again to wander or if I was looking for something specific (and I'll bet they have some lovely things around the holidays). However, I'd try to learn about the origins of what I was buying and if it's just an assembly line piece to help me determine what I'd be willing to pay for whatever I was purchasing.

Absolutely wonderful experience! This was my first time using an interior decorating service and I…read morewas a little nervous. Amy and Lori went above and beyond my expectations! I love EVERYTHING that they picked out for my new space. Great quality and just the look I was hoping for!

I see stopped in today because their Instagram feed is constantly updated with beautiful things,…read morebut also recently they've been sharing some of their fall and Halloween goodies. On my way back to Chicago from Madison I was trying to make it in time to stop here and see what goodies I might want. I did indeed leave with some things and can't wait to put them up come October! But the best part was chatting with the shopkeeper. Lorraine is a gem! I spent more time chatting with her than shopping (I was able to pick out what I wanted straightaway!). Luckily there was no one else in the shop whilst I was there and I didn't keep her too long since I left at 5:00 exactly (quitting time). I will 100% be back because they have too many beautiful things that I want in my house.

Excellent selection of antique and vintage furniture. The staff are very friendly and helpful…read more Prices are fair and they have a big selection of quality furniture. I'm so happy to have found this place. I purchased a vintage solid Oak dresser to refinish. Excellent place for gently used furniture.

Over the years we have purchased many items and furniture from New Leaf. We can get a better…read morequality of furniture for the money. They have a constant turnover of good quality used furniture. I would highly recommend them.

A group of us who train at Lucky E Kennel in Ringwood wanted to honor/prank the dog trainer Vanessa…read moreby creating a version of a popular T-Shirt which reads "Don't make me us my dog training voice" changing to read; "Don't make me us my Vanessa voice." Danielle at The Thoughtfulness Shop" was amazing. She created the design and finished the initial order of more than 30 shirts in various sizes and colors in a few days. As additional orders came in, she was able to finish them on the spot, she even sent one to a customer from Arizona. Tuesday 10/24 obedience class was the day of the Vanessa T-Shirt reveal. It was even better than I had anticipated! A big thanks to the Thoughtfulness Shop and Danielle for making this fun event possible!

This place had a ton of hilarious coasters, which was what lured us in, to begin with. We saw them…read morethrough the window. They have a lot of fun stuff, great gift ideas, etc.