The Peorian

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Resolutions

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Most of Americans make them, but do they really keep those resolutions?

Most of Americans make them, but do they really keep those resolutions? Research indicates Americans make resolutions, but few actually complete or are successful in achieving their goals for the New Year.

So why do we even consider making resolutions?

• It signifies a new beginning


• It...

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Puzzle It Out

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What do you see?  A new piece of the puzzle will be revealed each Friday.  Post your guess and see if you can figure it out first!

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A Passion for Fashion

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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...

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How we did it: a behind-the-scenes look at making Issue 2's cover

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cover-webThanks to Ken Clubb Illustrator for donating his time and talents to the production of the second issue cover of The Peorian. In his illustration Paul Gordon, The Peorian Editor, is getting into the Holiday Spirit as elves Kevin Kizer and Stuart Clubb come to his aid.

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Going Green

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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...

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Goin' Fishing & Hunting

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Now in its third generation of ownership, the Presley family has been baiting lines for 65 years

It once had one of the best, most descriptive names of any independent retailer anywhere – South Side Worm Ranch.

The Presley family has since moved from Peoria's south side to a larger space in Bartonville and calls the store Presley's Outdoors.

But now in its...

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60 Years of Making a Difference

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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...

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An Unlevel Playing Field

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Brick-and-mortar stores are still alive, but online shopping continues to grow.

The cover of Time magazine on July 20, 1998 probably alarmed an awful lot of people, particularly those in the business of retail development.

The cover showed the founder of Yahoo, Jerry Yang, on a surf board in bare feet easing out of a computer screen across a key board.

The headline screamed "KISS YOUR MALL GOODBYE" with a subhead...

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A Very Giving Community

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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...

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An Unlevel Playing Field

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Brick-and-mortar stores are still alive, but online shopping continues to grow.

The cover of Time magazine on July 20, 1998 probably alarmed an awful lot of people, particularly those in the business of retail development.

The cover showed the founder of Yahoo, Jerry Yang, on a surf board in bare feet easing out of a computer screen across a key board.

The headline screamed "KISS YOUR MALL GOODBYE" with a subhead...

Read more...

Bucking The Trend

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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...

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At the Junction

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City's oldest shopping destination has some of its most modern flair

Its very first enterprise may be gone, but Junction City shopping center is doing as well as it ever has and boasts some of Peoria's newest retail.

And while it has grown by about 30,000 square feet in the past four years, Junction Ventures LLC owners Alexis and Elizabeth Khazzam...

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Peoria's Surprising Architecture

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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...

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Centers of Activity

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Area malls and shopping centers ready for holiday shoppers

You won't find many retail store brands more well-known than Macy's, if for no other reason than the popularity of the movie "Miracle on 34th Street" that featured the store, its Thanksgiving parade and its Santa.

You also won't find too many cities the size of Peoria with a Macy's Department Store, but Northwoods...

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Santa Breakfast

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Saturday, December...

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Ho! Ho! Ho!

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The beard is real, so is the spirit of this Santa portrayer

Dick Hawley is 64 years old in age, but still a kid at heart. That's why, he thinks, he plays a pretty good Santa Claus.

"Not everybody can do this," the soft spoken Hawley said recently. "You have to really like kids plus you still have to be one yourself. I was always older for my age when I was a kid and now,...

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Future

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This is where we tell you what will happen in your future with eerie accuracy. That, and what some upcoming articles will be about. Email editor@thepeorian.com with your story ideas.

 

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Upcoming Magazines:

  • Volume 1, No. 6 - July 31, 2012

 

 

Television...

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You Can Find It Here

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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...

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Episode 3: Washington Politics: A Conversation with Aaron Schock

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Episode 2

An interview with Peoria Congressman Aaron Schock, the 18th District Republican, about the current events in our nation's capitol.

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

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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...

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Episode 2: Haunted Peoria with Stephanie McCarthy

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Episode 2

This week we interview Stephanie McCarthy, author of "Peoria's Haunted Memories," a book about the best-known local ghost stories. The Peoria Historical Society is using the book to set up Haunted Peoria tours during October.

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