Cracker Jax

I like to support businesses like this, however when businesses like this fail to be understanding about community needs I can no longer endorse shopping here. Your opinion about the food pantry «bringing to many homeless people to the area» has hurt many who struggle in this community. Those people, in that bracket, apparently mean so little to you that you complained and caused the food pantry to close… I think every one of your customers should know about your action and where you stand when it comes to HUNGER in your very own community. May you never be hungry, and may karma be with you too.

Do NOT shop here. This business was one of the key contributors to the downfall of feed em soup. They regularly complained about the organization «bringing homeless people to the area,» which is one of the most ignorant and sociologically incorrect statements I have ever heard. True businesses support their community, they don’t tear them down. You have lost a customer for life, and rest assured that I will tell everyone I know to avoid shopping here. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Oh, and additionally– everyone that works here has never been polite to me or my friends/​family when we have shopped here in the past. Please gain some personal and communication skills.

Great service…
Always helpful, even when I don’t know what I want.
Tons of items to choose from with new thing every time I come in.
Highly recommended.

Great place to shop for gifts! They have a lot of vintage, eclectic clothes and accessories, and all sorts of other items as well. They have a large inventory stuffed into a little space, which gives it all the more eclectic charm. The staff is also very nice. The prices here can be a little high, but you can always find things on sale and get some great deals. I would highly recommend this place for gift shopping when you don’t really know what to get a person.

This place is awesome. So many cool things to look at. There is something there for everyone. The lady was really nice and helpful. I will be coming here again!

I lived in DeKalb in the late 90s and apparently never made my way into this store. From what I hear it was originally one store front expanded now to about three store fronts.
For starters, this place is a bit overwhelming — there is SO MUCH to look at!!! This is the perfect place though if you’re looking for a unique gift to give someone. I almost guarantee you can find something for them in this place. I also suggest not shopping here if you’re in a hurry as there is lots to look through so you’ll want to take your time.
I was killing some time before heading down the street for lunch so it was the perfect place to do so. I was also able to pick up a gift — I’m shopping ahead for the holidays & stuff. I shopped on the 75% off jewelry rack and was able to pick up a nice bracelet and set of earrings for SIX bucks… yes, $ 6!!! Also, they gift wrap your purchase nicely so there isn’t even a need to buy a gift bag if you’re shopping for someone other than yourself.
There are new items and gently used vintage items here so again, come in when you have time and have a look around. You’ll probably end up walking out for that special gift for someone, or yourself!

This is a very eclectic store. You’ll find old (vintage) items mixed with new (but vintage looking) items. It’s a small space and there is literally staging of products from floor to ceiling. (I have to remind myself to look up!)
I’ve purchased several items over the years here and it’s funky, fun and moderately priced.
I downgraded to 4 stars because I’m not into incense and that makes me want to cough and sneeze the entire time I’m in there. I wish that the owners would consider that not everyone finds incense appealing. I’d probably spend more time in the store and buy more if I didn’t feel like a cat hacking and coughing from all the burning incense.

I love this store! I found Cracker Jax because I wanted to buy a special gift for a friend. I didn’t want something that she could have bought herself at a big box store. This was the perfect place to find it! Everything is reasonably priced too.

Looking for a unique boutique with all sorts of good finds? Cracker Jax is your place! With thousands and thousands (okay, I may be exaggerating but the inventory is massive!) of products you are sure to find something to bring home for yourself or find a gift for someone else. Something special, possibly vintage, unique and/​or a real treat.
Walking in from the outside you can already catch a glimpse of what lays ahead. Very cool finds! Make sure you have lots of time to browse before entering so you can take it all in and not get overwhelmed.
The actual store is crowded, but it gives it it’s unique ambiance. Be careful not to knock anything over with your handbag or stroller.
Prices can be more on the expensive side, but that’s to be expected at any boutique.
I really enjoy the customer service I receive here each time because they are friendly and let you take your time in their shop without harassing or stalking you. I also love, love how they gift wrap your purchases for you at no charge.

I LOVE this store. I have been shopping here since I moved to DeKalb in 1985. Lauren reinvents Cracker Jax with the changing times and always has fresh ideas. I must say that I almost never leave empty-​handed, even when I just pop in to see what’s new. I walk by every evening with my dogs just to see the changing window displays.

Cracker Jax… I love you! I could have spent a week here looking at all of your jewelry, soap, knickknacks, candles, keepsakes… I WANT IT ALL! You sparkle, you shine, you smell great and had so much to offer!!! I could have spent thousands here and been just fine with that. I thank my sister for introducing me to you and I curse her too because you will be taking all of my money! Please consider having a branch out in Oak Park, Chicago or Portland, Oregon. PLEASE PLEase PLEASE!!! Thank you!

So Target has a sale on the wet cat food my boyz eat where not only is the bulk pack discounted, but you get a $ 5 Target gift card too. I couldn’t even remember the last time I was this excited… until I realized that I was going to have to spend that $ 5 gift card on going back to Target and buying carpet cleaner for all the clearance food my cats had just puked up. Ughhhhhh. f*cking circle of life.
So I decided I needed to schedule some zen time for myself and figure out a new happy place (that isn’t Target) to just release some stress and be (dare I say), feline-​free… or least farther away from fur-​balls.
Enter: Cracker Jax
This shop is totally, 100%, without a doubt worth a trip out to, even if you’re driving in from the city. There’s literally (and this is just ball-​parking it on the lower end of the spectrum) no less than infinity +1 things in this shop that only seems little from the outside, but actually has like 10 different rooms, all floor-​to-​ceiling covered in vintage, used and new items for men, women and children.
My guy came with me to the store on our first visit and even though he hates shopping with the passion and fire of a thousand burning suns, he found himself amused by the many grandfatherly items and things you’d expect to see in the trophy room of a one Mr Ron Swanson. Some real old school manly-​man type relics up in this piece, although he admitted feeling quite a bit overwhelmed with the amount of clutter and stuff in this store.
I, on the other hand, felt right at home… I’ve also been threatened by every person I’ve ever lived with in every location I’ve ever lived that they were going to make a tape of the way I live and send it to the show ‘Hoarders’. And while I’d like to deny it and say my habit isn’t that bad, I know that’ll I’ll probably die from a stack of magazines and junk mail toppling over on my person while fighting through the piles of junk to find a cat, that may or may not have already been impaled by a rogue stiletto at the bottom of collapsed pile of clothing. It’s not ideal, but it’s just the way it’s always been and it’s something that I’ve been dealing with all my life and while I’d like to not be that way, I seems as if I was programed to be a hot mess from birth, and I like that Cracker Jax (in a much more tasteful way) helps me celebrate that.
So anyway…
All the things. I think that meme originated after one person’s visit to this shop that literally has all the things you never knew you needed, but now inexplicably can’t live without. Home-​wares, clothing, accessories, books, games, antiques, vintage gems, knick knacks galore, old broken mannequin parts, air fresheners, tongue-​in-​cheek jesus tchotchkis, and more… So.Much.More. All one-​of-​a-​kind. It’s like returning to Mrs. Havisham’s old mansion of dusty, aged treasures, but without the dust.
We came in about an hour-​and-​a-​half before closing time and it honestly felt like we’d been there 5-​minutes, yet before I knew it, the shop was closing up and I’d still had more rooms to explore. Definitely give yourself (at the very least) an hour in this store, but don’t be surprised if your time here leans closer to 2.
The shop girl was young and hip and sweet and funny… and most importantly a little twisted and totally someone who got my tasteless humor regarding a gift I bought there for a friend that I will not mention because it’s only something a dark, horrible human being would think was funny, and plus, it’s none of your business. I don’t know that I’ve ever left a store regretting not getting a girl’s digits because I wanted to hang out with her extra curricular-​ly, but it totally happened here.
They wrap your goods up in the cutest boxes and tissue and don’t be surprised if while you’re at the counter you convince yourself you need to throw in some of the locally-​made caramel treats they sell for a quarter or something ridiculously cheap like that at the register.
This place. It just ‘gets’ me. It reminds me of when my brother and I were (quote, unquote) «horrible monsters» and my mom would threaten to run away and never come back. I feel like the next time my kids (cats) act up and I go missing, you’ll probably be able to find me here, finding myself amongst the menagerie.

When my future brother-​in-​law said we were going to a «lady store», I wasn’t sure what to expect. Upon entering, I was surrounded by soft pinks, lace, and pearls. (I get it now)
Their inventory is varied in items and prices. I recommend going there for a girl’s afternoon and browsing!

This is a great shop, VERY large and full of items to thrift thru. The prices though are a but much for me on certain items. I came across a few vintage dresses and a pretty nightgown all for over $ 100 and not in my budget. There are 3 spacious rooms to weave in and out of while touring the shop. There are many different items placed all over the store. Thrifters paradise! There are many photos I have uploaded to help me with this review because I believe that way you can see the store for yourself before going. This was my first trip to Cracker Jax and not my last. I recommend this shop and they are open on SUNDAYS!

STILL a lady’s shopping paradise but there are increasingly more boyz toyz showing up, cuff links, surprisingly high quality vinyl, excellent books, and MORE!
Plus you will smell a lot better for shopping there.

Ditching out of mass on Sunday like any good guilty Catholic? Cracker Jax is your place! You’ll come home smelling like incense, and no one will be any the wiser! Plus, you can buy a few witchcraft instructional books and accessories, an you’ll be good to go!
Seriously, though, Cracker Jax is a pretty nifty shop. It’s the motherlode for anyone who loves vintage jewelry and rhinestones – conveniently organized by color. They’ve also got a collection of other accessories, hair clips, vintage clothing, knick knacks, and other gift items. The store is PACKED full of stuff, so leave yourself plenty of time to browse – and don’t forget to look up at the many items displayed on the walls!
As with any good boutique store, things here are a little overpriced, but if you’re looking for the perfect unique jewelry for a special event or formal occasion, this is your place.

Wow there is so much stuff to look at. I do get overwhelmed in places like this but I take my time. You literally need a good 2 hours to shop in here because you have to look at everything.

Cracker Jax has a special place in my heart; Lauren is a fab vintage proprietor and though I don’t get out to De Kalb much anymore, it’s always a sweet surprise to pay a visit to this little shop. Some great finds, and even better memories… great stuff for gifts or accessories to dress up your wardrobe. A sleek 1940’s Gold Bakelite Westclox alarm clock caught my eye… and the price, less than half of the same item being sold on Etsy! Cracker Jax might be De Kalb’s ONLY shop with any character left. A must see when passing through the flying ear of corn town, my hometown.

$ 25 for a 18″ tall vinyl stool? Give me a break! A lot of the «vintage» furniture in here appears to actually be broken down furniture that has been painted or other wise further distressed to make it an «antique» with a ridiculously high price tag. Nothing appeared to have its original finish.
Having said that, as a gift shop and jewelry shop, I would say it is interesting. Not sure what the prices on these sorts of things were as things are so packed into the space it is hard to tell at quick glance. Not a good resale shop to bring small children!

Cracker Jax has been a Dekalb staple for years, and it smells like it: I gag & have an allergy attack due to the incense sticks being burned every three feet in the tight, crowded space. I am not at all a fan of this «boutique» shop, the main reason being the unscrupulous owner.
You can find some cute, kitschy items at Cracker Jax, and plenty of vintage, but everything is overpriced. And most everything is junk that hasn’t even been wiped off or cleaned. I’m a local, and the owner of Cracker Jax has come to my house when I’ve had garage sales and bought purses that I have for sale for $ 1 each, then marked them up ten times that in her shop. That is beyond tacky and rude, and it’s bad business.
Also, *many* years ago I bought a vintage necklace from Cracker Jax for $ 50, and after wearing it three times the clasp broke, so I took it back to return it or get the clasp fixed. The owner refused to let me return it, but said she’d have the clasp fixed. After several weeks of not hearing from her, I called and went into the store to retrieve the necklace, and the owner and staff claimed there was no necklace and that they didn’t know what I was talking about. After several phone arguments I finally gave up.
If you’re in Dekalb, go to Moxie and Lavish Thrift: They are far cooler, more original shops with a good selection, reasonable prices & owners who respect their community and their clientele.
(Note, in the filtered reviews here you will find the owner’s response to the negative reviews, including this one. I think she only further proves my point: If you’re a kind, concerned business owner, you would apologize and try to correct any negative issues, not bash Unilocal and customers for their opinions.)