PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

Chef Joe Gresham of Joe’s Original Italian and Martini Bar serves customers lined up at Taste of the Heights

Peoria Heights Mayor Michael Phelan

“WHAT’LL YOU HAVE?” It has been more than 40 years since Pabst Brewing Company shuttered its massive beer-making operation in the Heights. While most agree that the town has not been the same since, others also suggest that’s not such a bad thing. Against all odds, the town that has emerged from the economic shock of 1982 has people all over the region asking, “What’s happening in the Heights?” The answer, in a word, is: “Plenty.” Downtown Peoria Heights along Prospect Avenue is thriving, with curb-to-curb commerce in a vibrant shopping, dining and entertainment district. People come from far and wide to experience an eclectic assortment of restaurants, pubs, boutiques, music venues and art galleries, all locally owned. The sales taxes they generate have the Village coming out of a budget year that saw a million-dollar surplus. “We got dealt a tough hand when Pabst closed, but we’ve played that hand pretty well since then,” said lifelong resident and second-term Mayor Michael Phelan. A glimmer of the past is the reincarnated 33 Room in the old Pabst administration building. Once the Milwaukee-based brewer’s hospitality room, it is now a privately owned venue serving up authentic Pabst Blue Ribbon, clever cocktails and an extensive collection of PBR memorabilia. “We have a real downtown,” said Phelan “It might be small, but it’s real

in the sense that there is commerce being done all day long. You see people on the streets from early morning until evening. “I think we have one of the best downtowns in central Illinois.” AN ALL-IN ATTITUDE One business owner who has seen tremendous change over his 40 years on Voss Street is Bruce Brown, proprietor, with wife Lisa, of Paparazzi Ristorante Italiano. An early pioneer of the downtown renaissance, Brown attributes the transformation of the Heights’ image to business owners, community leaders and residents working together for a common purpose. “We’re not going at one another, we’re going with one another,” Brown said. “All of this would not be possible without the ‘all-in’ attitude that we have here.” At the site of the former Kelly Avenue Grade School just south of downtown sits Heritage Square, a collection of modern shops surrounding a central courtyard that looks like it was plucked from the French Quarter in New Orleans. Developer Kevin Shields became the second owner of the property in 2015. From the get-go, his vision was that Heritage Square would become the “de facto town square” — a place to meet, enjoy outdoor music and festivals, shop and relax with family and friends. Over the summer months, Pour Bros. Craft Taproom hosts a weekly concert series that draws thousands. The mix of businesses — dining, a dance studio,

wine shop, investment firm, insurance agent, a purveyor of board games and a dentist, among others — keeps people coming and going all day. WHAT’S MISSING? City officials and merchants agree that one thing missing from Peoria Heights is a place to spend the night. While the Heights boasts its share of Airbnb options, unlike most of the communities that surround it, there is no hotel within village limits. Several parties have shown interest, with little progress thus far. “It has to be the right partner,” said the mayor. “The challenge is finding a place for it.” Barb Milaccio, president of the Peoria Heights Chamber of Commerce and owner of Exhibit A Gallery, said the Chamber is 100% in support of a boutique hotel, the need for which seems to grow along with the popularity of community events such as the Heights Fine Art Fair, Taste of the Heights and Kris Kringle Market. “I think it would be full all the time,” said Milaccio. 125 YEARS AND COUNTING Such an amenity also would come in handy Sept. 7-9 as Peoria Heights celebrates its quasquicentennial (125 years) with a car show, amusement rides, art and vendor show, the Taste of the Heights and history exhibits at Tower Park and Heritage Square.

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