A Publication of WTVP

Peoria Magazine is no longer in production. Publication ended with the November 2023 issue.

Business

Mom & Pop

Becky Schotthofer is owner of The Hayloft Shops in Mossville

‘The Enchantment Is Unforgettable’

Lisa Coon October 28, 2023

Walking into the gift store at The Hayloft Shops along old Galena Road in Mossville is like stepping into a...

Chris and Ed Monroe of Family Medical Equipment & Supply

How Would the Monroes Do This?

Linda Smith Brown October 24, 2023

When your first job as a youngster is crawling inside a boiler to scrape away the lime build-up, a lifetime...

A family affair

Lisa Coon September 28, 2023

Family vacations and stops at Amish markets where you could buy flour, sugar and other staples including candy in bulk...

Need a parochial school uniform?

Bob Grimson September 27, 2023

Since being formally incorporated by Naomi Lagron and Ida Miller, a rarity for two women in 1925, the eponymous purveyor...

Owner Ashley Harper smiles inside Billy’s Tap in Canton. The oldest saloon in town, Billy’s offers a menu, atmosphere and meeting room that help draw visitors to Canton and boost the local economy

From shot-and-beer joint to venerable town treasure

Phil Luciano August 26, 2023

For 75 years, Billy’s Tap in Canton has operated as a family affair, nowadays serving as a vital community touchpoint.Third-generation...

More than 350 sodas are in stock at the Little Soda Pop Shop in Utica. It’s the only shop in central Illinois with a soda-only focus

Sodas go the craft route

Phil Luciano August 1, 2023

Thirsty for Barf?Or maybe you’re hankering for a delicious Bloody Nose? Or a Pimple Pop?Then head to Utica’s Little Soda...

The George J. Rothan Company building at 619 W. Johnson St., Peoria. Below, the company's early days at the same location

Family Friendly

Steve Stein June 28, 2023

Products and people. That’s been the George J. Rothan Company’s recipe for staying in business for 150 years. Triple Dipple's...

A breath of salty air

Laurie Pillman January 1, 2023

Pioneer Parkway in Peoria is not where you might expect to find a calming oasis or a centuries-old healing practice....

The best bistro (Too many of) you haven’t been to

Phil Luciano November 29, 2022

The Garden Street Café might be the tastiest place you’ve never visited. “There’s a lot of people that say they’ve...

The Art of Going With the Flow

Laurie Pillman October 27, 2022

Life has rarely taken Katie VandenBerg exactly where she expected to go. Given that, she has mastered the art of...

Stylish and Sustainable

Roxy Baker October 1, 2022

Sustainability is defined as “the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources to maintain an ecological balance.”Recycling household waste, utilizing...

A man in a comic store holding action figures

Peoria’s comic book king adjusts with the times

Steve Tarter August 1, 2022

As an independent operator, Bob Gordon has learned an important business lesson: “The chains always catch up to you.” But...

Bob Bally standing in front of ice cream shop

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for…

Bob Grimson June 24, 2022

Starting in the late 1970s with equipment borrowed from an Amish business in Arthur, Bob Bally helped his church craft...

Iconic Irish Bar Reaches its Ruby Anniversary

Phil Luciano May 24, 2022

Who goes to Jimmy’s Bar?Owner Jimmy Spears could drop name after name from the legion of celebrities who have dropped...

Tom Gibson, the third Generation, pumps gas

A Dinosaur Thrives In Tremont

Phil Luciano April 28, 2022

TREMONT – Gib Mills goes out of his way to refuel his car.He goes not just to a gas station,...

This third generation of sisters hopes to carry on the retail legacy.

A Sentimental Journey

Sally McKee March 31, 2022

Forty years ago, two sisters — Karen Ganz and Darlene Feser — bought the empty CILCO building on the square...