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You Can Find It Here

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 15:22; Written by Paul Gordon

Retailers say there is little need to leave Peoria area to shop

It always sounds good and noble when communities start "buy local" campaigns aimed at boosting sales for their locally owned retailers.

Such campaigns have been seen in central Illinois for years, particularly in the communities surrounding Peoria. Some shopping centers, such as the Metro Centre and Junction...

What's My Stuff Worth: Game Machine, Brass Canaries

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:56; Written by Paul Gordon

With Dan Philips

It is common today to find different types of small machines just inside the entry vestibules at grocery stores or pharmacies, machines that give out gum balls or little trinkets, usually for a quarter or two. Some are gaming machines in which you try your skills at nabbing something of value with a crane. They've been around for years.

They also have evolved...

A Very Giving Community

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:13; Written by Paul Gordon

Local charitable giving remains strong during holidays despite economic woes

It's that time of year where almost every door of every store finds a red kettle manned by a bell ringer. Christmas is a time for giving.

It is also, however, a time when the needs of the less fortunate seem accentuated and when the economy is down, as it has been in...

A Passion for Fashion

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:50; Written by Paul Gordon

Women's clothing store owner never Jaded about her business

When Peoria-area native Jade Venovich got the chance to come home and pursue her self-professed "passion for fashion," she jumped at it.

Five years later, business is good at Belle Mie, one of many locally owned specialty retail stores at Junction City Shopping Center at Knoxville Avenue and Prospect Road in Peoria.

"It was a lifelong dream of mine to own...

Bucking The Trend

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:05; Written by Paul Gordon

Trading law books for novels, Mary Beth Nebel shows small, independent bookstores still have a place

When Mary Beth Nebel left a career as a lawyer to open an independent bookstore in Peoria Heights a little over five years ago, she wasn't thinking about bucking any trends.

She just wanted to do something she loved.

"I just really wanted to try this. I have always...

Going Green

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:32; Written by Paul Gordon

You just never know where that cool product at Re- came from

The green movement isn't passing Nancy Martin by. In fact, she's ahead of the curve in this race to sustainability.

Now if only others would discover her quaint little store tucked at the back end of Metro Centre in Peoria.

Re- is the name of the store Martin started five years ago under the name of...

Peoria's Surprising Architecture

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 13:42; Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri

Upcoming issues of The Peorian will feature walking tours of Peoria's more interesting areas. This issue is the first of three parts about Downtown Peoria.

French explorers settled among the native peoples here in 1691 to start Illinois' oldest European settlement. The French villages here lasted for 120 years until the French and native peoples were forcibly...

60 Years of Making a Difference

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 14:30; Written by Paul Gordon

Peoria Friendship House needs help to keep helping others

For 60 years the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service has been striving to make a difference in the lives of men, women and children who need clothes on their back and food on their plates.

But as the economic downturn continues, despite assurances of financial experts that the recession has ended, the...