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.

Great deals to be had! Very nice people. Leave the place clean. Don't tear up boxes!!read more

Awesome employees, recommend coming on weekends or a Monday, everyone is super kind and everything…read moreis pretty cleanly, come prepared to do a bit digging but can always find good stuff when I actually look.

This store is amazing!!! The owner, Angela is so helpful and always listening to her customers…read moreabout what to order for the store. If she doesn't carry it and can order it for you, she will do it!!! An amazing crop room bright and spacious.

Love this place! A small store so you gets let's of personal attention. Love their cops. Went to…read morethe hotel crop and it was so much fun with games and lots of talking!

Was in there today looking around. Need to get a couch and we are shopping. In the process I saw…read moreso much stuff they have cute holiday stuff. All kinds of house hold items. I got a cute dog dish I have been looking for something like it and it was a find. They have almost everything. Appliance, cloths, outdoor, furniture, holiday items, go check it out never know what you need

lots to choose from Tish and Tim are very helpful {above and beyond}…read more so please feel free to ask them about any product! Joe and Pat

I wanted to take a moment to express gratitude and recognition to Jay and Amari for the above and…read morebeyond services. A week ago, Jay was absolutely amazing showing us a half dozen pairs of sunglasses in the display case, in which we bought 2. Super personable and helpful. Last night, Amari spent time showing us the men's watches in the display case. Super awesome experience. We ended up buying 3 watches. Both gentlemen were extremely helpful, kind, patient and just really genuine people. It's not often in today's retail world to have such a great interaction with staff, but having 2 above and beyond, 5 star service from 2 was truly awesome and they deserve the shoutout and recognition.

While my daughter and I were in shopping, I evidently set my phone down and lost track of it. I…read moreasked the employees behind the main counter and they didn't say much after giving a description. A very helpful and kind hearted employee behind the other counter, who had the same kind of phone let me use her locator app to ping my phone. Upon pinging I discovered that it had been with the employees at the first counter after all. I am happy and relieved to say I have my phone back. Although, I will say, I don't know if I would have gotten it back if not for Janelle's generosity to let me use hers! Find more good people like Janelle to represent you Ross

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.

I am so confused at how to describe this store. If you've been here, you know what I mean…read more First, it's not a standard market. It does excel on offering many global food options. Lots of Japanese, French, German, Greek, Vietnamese, and more specialty items. I love the imported Oreos from Asia. There's also a section of decorations, clothing, and even quirky knick knacks you can give as gifts. There's a nice wine selection and kitchen items to browse. We've bought various artwork from here. It's hard to tell you why you should come here, but you should come here when you want to buy something unique and unexpected.

Wow - what a concept. I traveled all over the world for forty years, and my father before me for…read moresixty years, and we both dug deep into local culture to find and barter for important historic objects, in Thailand, Japan, India, Indonesia, New Guinea, Burma, Turkey, North Africa, and Communist Eastern Europe, all purchases negotiated through unsavory black markets, and then I return to the United States to find that knock-offs of our historic artifacts can be purchased for pennies on the dollar at a corner store - IN CRYSTAL LAKE! I am ready to Die now.

Some great bargains to be found here. A lot of inventory is from Costco at about half of the…read moreregular price. There were mostly household goods and outdoor items. .|\---/| | @_@ | ..\_^_/..2024

I am done being screwed over by this store. First in line by 45 minutes, waiting in 15 degree…read moretemperatures for over an hour just to have the second person in line sprint to the same item I wanted and grab it before me. Complete bullshit, will never shop here again and will make sure to spread the word as a local of Lake Villa. Spoke with multiple employees and they couldn't have cared less.