PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2023

Becky Schotthofer is owner of The Hayloft Shops in Mossville

“We were partners, and she was my best friend,” Schotthofer said. JoAnn passed in 2019. For one year, the two women expand ed their operation to a dress shop and tearoom on Perry Avenue in Peoria. A zoning battle involving the ceramic shop on the family farm, however, forced the family in 1978 to find a location to bring all of their creative passions together. That’s when they bought the block in Mossville and repurposed two existing buildings into a tearoom and apparel shop. “This used to be just an empty lot,” Schotthofer explained of the spot where the gift shop stands today. For the gift shop, the family wanted to pay homage to the origins of the hayloft in the barn on the family farm, so Fred Schotthofer, who was in construction, supervised the move of an antique barn originally built to house the Roszell Dairy. At more than 100 years old, the barn still houses the gift shop today. DEDICATED CUSTOMER SERVICE At age 69 and and never married, Schotthofer looks to her longtime customers like family. “We have customers who have been with us 30 or 40 years,” she said.

Customers such as Deb Owen of Peoria keep coming back because they appreci ate the personal attention provided by the shop’s staff — four part-time employees that grows to six during special events. And they enjoy the stories Schotthofer shares about her travels in acquiring the various gift and apparel items. “They offer superior customer ser vice, and their timeless quality and value have kept me as a loyal Hayloft customer for a quarter of a century,” Owen said. “The Hayloft Shops provide the best shopping experience in the Tri-County area. It is the perfect place to shop for all-occasion gifts. The gourmet shop makes entertaining a breeze. “There is no place like The Hayloft,” she said. “The enchantment is unfor gettable.” Kim Gaylord of Mapleton and Sylvia Nath of Peoria Heights agree. “I love the uniqueness of it. I’m not one for big box stores; I like boutiques and specialty shops,” Gaylord said. “Becky — the entire staff — takes time with every customer that comes through the door. I like that, and you don’t get that everywhere.” The travel stories shared by Schot thofer are a plus. “I’m a history buff so all of that in trigues me,” Gaylord said. “I love hearing about her travels.”

Nath has been a customer for at least 20 years. “I like the variety of items they have that are sometimes different than other retail stores,” she said. “And I thoroughly enjoy the people who work there, espe cially Becky. They go out of their way to be nice and helpful.” Customers like that are what keep Schotthofer going. “I love my customers,” she said. “They’re probably the thing that’s kept me doing this for this long. I also love the buying and displaying. That brings out the creative side of me.” Hayloft Shops is located at 10690 State St. in Mossville, just off Illinois Route 29 north of Peoria. The business is open

from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Contact the Shops at 309-579-3141 or at hayloftshops@frontier.com, or follow the retailer on Facebook.

Lisa Coon is a Peoria native who had a long career in the newspaper industry before moving into marketing and communications

NOVEMBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 31