Party With Hallmark: A Fun Place To Shop

Party With Hallmark, with locations in Crystal Lake and Cary, lives up to its name, particularly during the holiday season.

Once inside, customers can browse through greeting cards, gifts, jewelry, candles, ornaments and so many items. Many products are “noise makers,” with buttons that initiate music and other sounds. Throughout the store, shoppers can be heard laughing as they read a card. Or, a sudden burst of music erupts when a guest tests a toy.

“It really is like a party in here this time of year,” Store Manager Debora Geist said.

“People come in and starting talking to the person next to them and the next thing you know they’re friends. They start giving each other tips. On Monday, earlier this week, it was so loud in here. The store was just buzzing. And you could barely move there were so many people in here, and this store is 10,000 square feet. “

On a normal day, Party With Hallmark sees about 200 customers. But, 60-percent of the store’s annual sales occur between October and December. Once December rolls around, there can easily be 800 to 1,000 customers walking through the door on the weekend, Owner Jeri Dee said.

 “We’re (Crystal Lake store) the fifth leading independent Hallmark store in the country,” said Dee, who owns 12 Hallmark stores throughout the Midwest. “We’ve also got the largest store in Wisconsin and the largest in Minnesota.”

So What’s Selling This Season?

Hallmark Brand Items: the store’s biggest seller.

The Vera Bradley Line: wallets, purses, totes and overnight bags are the store’s second largest seller, Dee said.

Jingle the Huskie Dog: A stuffed animal, Jingle is an interactive toy that talks when kids and parents read coinciding storybooks. Jingle All the Way was the first book, released last year. A Snow Day for Jingle is this year’s book. Both were written by Tom Shay-Zapten.

“Last year, they all sold out,” Dee said. “He’s really a fun toy.”

Holiday Recordable Storybooks: These books, many traditional Christmas tales, allow buyers to record themselves while reading the book and then give as a gift.

One grandmother, who was suffering with cancer, bought a book and recorded her voice so her grandchildren could always hear her reading it, said store associate Lisa Banas.

“We both had tears streaming down our faces, but what a wonderful gift for the grandchildren,” Banas said.

Elf on a Shelf: Set Elf anywhere on a shelf in your house, and he will report back to Santa when children are bad. Kids aren’t allowed to touch the Elf until Christmas Day, after which he disappears until Christmastime next year. Elf is extremely popular with teachers, too, Dee said.

The No! Button: Instead of the Staples button, this button’s simply entitled No! When pushed, it offers a variety of recorded No’s or No, No, No!

“This is so hot right now, “Dee said. “We just got these in, and we’ve already sold 500 pieces between our stores.” 

Party With Hallmark, 6144 Route 14, Crystal Lake, 815-455-7880

Jeri’s Hallmark, 670 Route 14, Cary, 847-639-5553