PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2023

MOM AND POP

A FAMILY AFFAIR Religious principles and solid business sense converge at Braker’s Market outside Eureka, a throwback to an earlier era

BY LISA COON PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

F amily vacations and stops at Amish markets where you could buy flour, sugar and other sta ples including candy in bulk and find unique home décor items, toys and clothing gave the Braker family of Eureka the spark of an idea for a future business opportunity. “As a family, we liked to stop at these types of stores and we thought it would be fun — on a much smaller scale — to operate one,” said Rebecca Braker, 47, who with her husband, Phil, 46, and their eight children own and operate Braker’s Market. With eight kids ages 6 to 24, a daugh ter-in-law, a son-in-law and three infant- and toddler-age granddaughters, it also offered the opportunity to work together as a family, said Phil.

BECOMING A DESTINATION The market sits on the south side of Route 24 off Cruger Road, just west of the Woodford County seat of Eureka. Motorists can’t miss what was a for mer cabinet-making business that now sports the body of an old red pickup truck on the roof. It’s nestled right next to the family’s Countryside Barns busi ness, which offers outdoor furniture, pergolas, gazebos and playsets. The family’s business plan, Phil ex plained, began with the barns in 2009. Furniture was added in 2016, followed by the playsets in 2017 and additional outdoor structures in 2019. Plans for the market came about after the Brakers purchased the building of the defunct cabinet-making business,

Owners of Braker’s Market, Phil and Rebecca Braker

24 OCTOBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE