Naperville General Store

Well, be sure you bring cash if you are only buying a small item.
I, like most people under age 50 or so, barely ever have cash on me these days. So I thought nothing of it when I went to the Naperville General Store to peruse their small selection of local goods to add to a Chicago-​themed gift basket. I happily went up to the counter with my $ 4.95 purchase and plopped down my credit card.
«Oh, the purchase has to be over five dollars,» I was told.
SIGHHHH. Considering the fact that there’s nothing really cheap to boost my purchase over five (even the candy is a couple bucks), I was rather annoyed. But parking around here is so difficult that I wasn’t going to leave and come back. (NGS also makes it hard on the shopper because of their abbreviated hours. I was there on a week day and they are only open for a few hours mid-​day, and they close by 5 pm.) I finally bought an unneeded greeting card to put me over the top.
Bear in mind for the future that Anderson’s Two Doors East and Oswald’s Pharmacy also carry Naperville-​themed stuff. As to the other products, you can get «nostalgia» candy in a lot of places (check Naper Nuts and Sweets down the block for one), and girly doodads are legion elsewhere.
Basically, to shop here all the stars have to be aligned (right time of day, find a parking spot, oh yeah and have some cold hard cash). Really more of a pain than it’s worth for me. Pretty much the only thing going for it is the Naperville-​themed products.

To be honest, I’ve passed by the Naperville General Store numerous times over the last couple years, and never ever thought to go in. I think it was the name that threw me off. Seemed like an old-​school convenient store that was awkwardly located.
However… a few weeks ago I was shopping around downtown Naperville for an anniversary gift for my grandparents. My mom suggested looking at the General Store. I was all like «Whaaaa? Girl you crazy.»
But she was right. As mothers always are. The Naperville General Store has so many fun nic-​nacs! Hilarious décor, nostalgic candy, candles, lotions, greeting cards, wine paraphernalia, they’re all over the board really. But it was the perfect place to shop for a gift!
I ended up buying a wooden block sign that says «All you need is love… and a bottle of wine.» Classic. My grandma thought it was hilarious. I also got them a little book that was all about the year they got married. So many fun facts and tid bits for them to reminisce over! Let’s just say I was the fave grandchild that evening…
I highly suggest checking this place out! If anything, you’ll have a fun time browsing!

This is one of my favorite stores in Naperville. It’s located in downtown Naperville and they really have some cute items. I’ve made several purchases in the past. When ever I have family or friends visiting from out of town, I like to bring them here.

The Naperville General Store is not exactly a general store, but still a neat little shop that reminded me a lot of Cracker Barrel with the candles, old fashioned knick-​knacks, lame toys, and old school candy that nobody younger than my grandpa likes. They also have other food like jellies and jams, baking mixes, odd sodas, coffee, etc.
I found the greeting cards to be really cute and funny, along with the magnets they sell. Some of them even say «Naperville Riverwalk» which I thought was pretty cool to have especially if you are visiting from out of town.
Surprisingly, the prices were not ridiculous. I would say that everything in the store is reasonably priced. Plus, the staff are really friendly. If you are in the area, it wouldn’t hurt to stop in. You may find something you like!

This was a disappointment! Minus the restaurant, it”s Cracker Barrel with crackhead pricing. There was nothing I wanted, but they had greeting cards, stationery with corny themes, throwback candy like Bonamo’s Turkish Taffy, and Chuckles, but no throwback prices here. Lots of goofy sodas, coffees, teas, toys all way way over priced. Having per used this corny kitch I decided to buy two sample packs of ChaiTea but they wouldn’t ring up a purchase for less than $ 5. Pass this place up,

This is a «kitchy» store that is trying to recapture Naperville of by-​gone days. I did enjoy browsing. There are a couple of jams, some soup mixes, teas, a few toys, a handful of old fashioned candies (I haven’t seen a Bonomo Turkish Taffy in years), a little of this and a little of that. Just like a general store might have been in the early Naperville settlement days.
It is a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown Naperville.