Okay, yesterday I put up a preview post about attending my very first, First Friday here in Peoria. Today that post is finally done! Here’s some information on all of the places on Peoria’s First Friday route. We couldn’t hit all of the places Friday, so we went to some of the places in and around the Sunbeam Building near Sheridan and Main Street. Below are the six places I stopped in at, this is just a small sampling of the shops and galleries you can visit on a First Friday and next time I’ll check out even more. But for now, let’s travel two days back in time to the First Friday of 2016!
Here’s my friends, Joe, Amber and Adam, the four of us all came to the First Friday festivities together after having a New Year’s Day lunch with Danielle and Brent. After that the four of us had an afternoon summit meeting at MBIP World Headquarters where we sampled the Christmas beers that Amber gave me, we solved all the world’s problems, created some brand new ones and then I showed them the plate and bowl I’ve been eating off of since 1979. It was quite the fruitful summit meeting and now we’re all ready for some Friday night fun after all that work!
Broken Tree Coffee
Our first stop was Broken Tree Coffee. Broken Tree Coffee is owned by Jeremiah and Carrie and in addition to wonderfully brewed coffee, espresso and tea, they also have a great assortment of beer and a full cocktail bar. And freshly baked pizza! We got a large cheese pizza and if you’re wondering who got the last slice...
It was Adam! After Broken Tree I went off on my own to do this MBIP thing I do and I wandered over to...
Urban Artifacts
I love Urban Artifacts, it’s one of the most unique shops in town and I could spend the whole evening just browsing around inside of the store. There’s everything from beer lights to record players, vintage lunchboxes, ashtrays, historical Peoria memorabilia, Bygone Brand Peoria t-shirts and anything else kitschy, kooky, fun and unusual that you could imagine. Jon and Angie Walker own Urban Artifacts and Urban Girl and they’re great people and have been instrumental in the revitalization of this part of town.
Urban Artifacts
925 N. Sheridan Road
Peoria
309-361-7430
The Art Garage Studio and Gallery
The Art Garage is an art gallery that not only has art on display and for sale, you can also go in and create your own art and get assistance while doing so from owner Jessica Ball. There’s all kinds of events that happen here like Ladies Night, Date Night, Toddler Art and there’s also art classes available and you can host your own art party here, you can read more about all of this on their website. Every First Friday the Art Garage has a featured artist and this month’s featured artist is Lowell Levene-Sims and his wonderful artwork is pictured above and you can read more about him on his facecrack page.
The Art Garage Studio and Gallery
712 W Main St
Peoria, Illinois
309-231-2511
Nacho Mama’s Grilled Cheese Food Truck
My favorite food truck in the world, Nacho Mama was parked outside of Urban Artifacts and I decided to get a grilled cheese sandwich. My friend Angela was manning the front window with the rest of the Nacho Mama crew. I wrote all of their names down, but somewhere along the line I lost my notebook! We last saw Angela when we had lunch with her and her husband Stuart at El Zarape, I’m guessing he’s around here somewhere too! Check out the grilled cheese, is this the perfect thing on a chilly winter night or what? Actually it’s the perfect thing in any season! Okay, time to keep moving along...
Nacho Mama’s Grilled Cheese Food Truck
Check their facecrack page for their traveling schedule
Ha! I told you Stuart would be nearby and here he is with his daughter who’s name is in that goddamned lost notebook. Hate the lost MBIP notebook! HATE HATE HATE it!
Let’s go in and check out what’s happening in the Sunbeam Building.
The Sheared Edge
The Sheared Edge bills themselves as a place where Earth meets Fashion. Some of the items on display and for sale include unconventional fiber art, stained glass jewelry, air plants, cards and art. The Sheared Edge is co-owned by Mae Gilliland and Dana Baldwin. You can check out their website right here: The Sheared Edge.
The Sheared Edge
925 N. Sheridan Road (Main and Sheridan)
Peoria
309-635-1165
Lit. on Fire Used Books
Lit. on Fire Used Books is located in the back of the Sunbeam Building and it’s packed with books that you’re not going to find anywhere else. I recently purchased a hardback edition of Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson that I’ve been looking for for years here in LIt. on Fire! If you’re a book lover there’s all kinds of hidden gems to find in here. And it’s the only book store in town to feature two books written by Yours Fooly in the local authors section! Jessica Stephenson is the owner of Lit. on Fire and there she is holding my two latest purchases!
Lit. on Fire Used Books
929 N. Sheridan Rd, Suite 1A
Peoria
309-634-5383
Suddenly...dueling photos! I love it when that happens!
People hang out in the back of The Sunbeam building and I ran into this motley crew back there, from left, Jon, Mae, Stacy, Frank and the gentleman’s name in the back is lost in the damned MBIP notebook!
Here’s Jon with artist Darius Donaldson. You can read about Darius and his cousin’s distinctive artwork by clicking right here.
Revisiting Broken Tree Coffee
I thought I’d have one more nightcap at Broken Tree Coffee. While there I met Jeremiah’s parents, Leonard and Annette and they’re pictured up there at the top. I also ran into Stuart and his son in there and then Hannah and Molly came in from Moxie’s ReSale Boutique! This was a really fun night and I may take a vacation day next month and do it all over again! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Broken Tree Coffee
700 W Main Street
Peoria, IL 61606
309-648-1439
Related Posts: A Saturday Preview Of A First Friday Post On A Sunday Morning...Huh?, Small Business Saturday—November 29, 2014 and A Small Tour On Small Business Saturday Featuring Acme Comics, Moxie’s ReSale Boutique, Younger Than Yesterday, Urban Artifacts, The Costume Trunk And Special Guest Stars The Black Roses & Ken Zurski!