After surviving COVID-19 lockdowns and a devastating fire, beloved downtown Crystal Lake gift shop Out of the Box is permanently closing.

Out of the Box gift shop owner Nicole Garringer posted the news on the shop’s Facebook page earlier this month. The small business will close its doors at the end of January.

“This little store has been a staple for the last 17 years, voted best gift shop, just as long,” Garringer said in the post. “Unfortunately, with my new health issues, and the support for small business[es] dwindling, it is a choice I was forced to make.”

The shop at 71 N. Williams St. has been known for unique merchandise ranging from items on the sentimental side to fun gag gifts, with a specialization in personalizing items.

Garringer was “hoping for a Christmas miracle” to garner enough sales to see her through at least for a couple more months. But Out of the Box fell far short of a miracle. Garringer said it was the worst Christmas season the store has ever had. Those holiday shopping dollars are vital for carrying her business through the normally sluggish first couple of months of the year.

The closing comes with a very heavy heart. Garringer envisioned her kids taking over the business one day.

“It’s frustrating,” she said. “I know a lot of people love this store.”

There are a combination of reasons for the difficult decision. A big one was Garringer’s health. Over the summer, she found out she has a rare kidney disease. To make matters worse, she is already down one kidney after donating one to a lifelong family friend about 10 years ago.

“I can’t be working this hard every day and keep putting my health in the back seat,” she said.

Sprinkled in with the struggles are moments of hope. Fellow downtown restaurant Georgio’s hosted a fundraiser for Garringer in August to help her with medical costs. In total, they raised about $10,000, she said.

“I never felt so loved,” she said. “It was mind-blowing the amount of people that showed up.”

Another hit was when Jellycat suddenly pulled its merchandise from the small business without warning in October, Garringer said. The British company is known for its collectable stuffed animals.

Out of the Box was the only supplier of the popular items in Crystal Lake for years, way before the company shot up in popularity due to TikTok, Garringer said.

The announcement noted that Jellycat will instead focus its business online – a trend that also extends to the customer. Garringer said it’s becoming more difficult to compete with big-box stores and the convenience of online shopping. Plus, customers have less spending dollars with a persistently higher cost of living.

Newer tariffs have been another challenge. When Garringer purchased an order of bracelets from Britain, she said customs and duties fees were listed as “unknown.” Once the order arrived in the country, she was hit with a $300 tariff charge – 50% of the cost of the order. Garringer sent the package back, but still had to pay for the order. If she kept the order, the prices of the bracelets would have to be sold at a substantially higher price, she said.

“We’re expected to give that to the customer or eat it,” she said.

These challenges are not unique to Out of the Box. Garringer worries that other downtown businesses may not be able to hold on within the next two to three years.

“Everyone is struggling,” she said.

Struggles are far from unknown to Garringer. Soon after purchasing Out of the Box from the previous owner, Garringer had to learn how to keep the gift shop afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Then a fire broke out in 2023 that caused smoke damage to her entire store and destroyed about 10,000 items she had for sale.

The fire on June 8, 2023, started in a neighboring paint store and caused about $1 million in damage to businesses and apartments, according to early estimates. The blaze not only destroyed Garringer’s inventory but left a strong chemical odor in her shop and other damage.

At that point, Garringer looked into selling the business. But selling would come with an unknown timeline – something Garringer couldn’t afford with rent costs, she said.

Since announcing the closure, Out of the Box staff have felt a warm embrace from customers. Many have come in to share stories of how the small business affected them.

“A lot come in with love,” Out of the Box employee Molly McDillon said. “We love this place too, and we don’t want it to happen either.”

Future steps are unknown for Garringer at the moment, though she might take her T-shirt printing and embroidery business online. Whatever road she takes, Garringer said updates will be posted on her Out of the Box website and social media pages.