From sterling silver jewelry to ingredients for the smorgasbord, shoppers have trekked to The Gift Box in Geneva for their Scandinavian specialties for more than 75 years.

Authenticity is essential as owner Hans Jönsson carefully curates the shop’s inventory. Each year, he travels to Sweden and beyond in search of new artists to feature in the downtown Geneva shop, just as his father, Lennart Jönsson, did before him. He’s recently added pieces from a new woodcarving artist who creates varied horses representing different villages of Sweden, along with a new jeweler, leathermaker and candlestick maker.

“This isn’t a souvenir shop,” Hans Jönsson explains, adding that shoppers won’t find the same items carried in big-box stores.

The shop also features local artists of Scandinavian descent — authors, flag makers, painters and woodcarvers.

Early December is an especially busy time as shoppers come in search of foods for their holiday table and the traditional smorgasbord. They scoop up jars of herring, Norwegian lutefisk, spices to make glögg and Swedish meatballs. The demand for food prompts the shop team to use a catalog to help customers find all the items for their celebrations, including for the annual holiday of Santa Lucia on Dec. 13.

The Gift Box is one of the few remaining locally owned businesses dedicated to Scandinavian items in northern Illinois. For Hans Jönsson, that makes it even more important to keep the shelves lined with items honoring the store’s legacy.

“I’m glad it’s carried on to its 78th year,” Hans said. “The community loves us and this shop is part of our heritage.”

The shop opened in 1947, and the storefront has been located on State Street since then. The original owner was Edythe Anderson, who launched the business as a single woman in her late 30s. For Hans Jönsson, who owns the shop along with his sister Maria, Anderson (Maria’s godmother), was like a grandmother to both of them — though according to the family tree, she was related via his great-grandmother.

“It goes to show, if you’ve got a dream, do everything you can to make it happen,” Hans said.

Learning about Anderson’s shop and the opportunity for the “American dream” inspired Hans and Maria’s father, Lennart, who emigrated from Sweden in 1954, sponsored by his aunt, who lived in St. Charles at the time.

Lennart took the reins of the business in 1984, and he loved being in the shop, Hans Jönsson said.

“He loved [the business]. He breathed it. It was his life,” Hans said.

Lennart was still working in the shop until he died at 88, shortly after returning from Sweden — where, as he did every year, he searched for new items to feature in the store and spent time with friends and family, particularly his sisters.

Individually, both Hans and Maria traveled with their father on many of those annual trips. Today, Hans continues to search for new artists to feature and new products his customers will enjoy, such as the array of Swedish candies — flavored licorice bites and gummy fish-shaped candies in flavors like blueberry, ginger and peppermint.

“Our candies are massively popular,” Hans Jönsson said.

And though she claims she isn’t a baker, longtime shop manager Jeanne Martin will bake and bring in slices of Swedish Almond Cake, made with a specific aluminum pan imported from Sweden that the shop carries.

“It’s a super simple recipe and the recipe comes with the pan,” Hans Jönsson explained.

Though the shop has been in the same location since it opened 78 years ago, every day someone new walks in and discovers its treasures for the first time — whether in search of a specific product or simply to wander.

“We want them to come into our store and come back, because there’s always something new. That’s what we strive for,” Hans Jönsson said.