What a year 2022 has been for Metro Centre!
Dear Metro Centre Family and Friends -
This year marked 50 years operating in Peoria! We were honored by a Proclamation by the CIty of Peoria acknowledging this milestone. We took so many trips down memory lane on social media. It was fun to hear all the stories from generations of our customers and employees of our Metro Centre community. And since we are all about celebrating, we sent out the Prize Patrol to give away gift cards to our shops throughout the year. Who can forget the Birthday Cake popcorn we gave out during the Peoria Farmers Market? Delicious!. It’s hard to believe that so much has changed, but yet has stayed the same. Our dedication to Peoria is as strong as ever!
The Peoria Farmers Market at Metro Centre also celebrated a milestone anniversary! 2022 marked the 45th year operating here at the shopping center. Many of the farmers are still bringing us the best produce in the Midwest since Day One! This year there were multiple times when farmers were SOLD OUT of all their produce! Many nonprofits were able to host fundraisers at the market as well. We are already looking forward to the 2023 season.
We decided to treat ourself to a “Glow Up” for our 50th birthday. We started off by painting our roofline a fresh, new color. What we love best is that the color is quite similar to our original look. We then gave the first section of our facade brick an updated look to bring us into the next 50 years. We find ourselves admiring the new columns every time we walk by them. If you haven’t seen our new look, stop by and check it out!
Speaking of glow ups, many of our merchants underwent some transformations of their own. Jalapenos updated their bar, Peoria Camera was remodeled, and JoAnn’s updated their signage and has a refreshed interior. Le Bakery opened back up their expanded Le Café and Peoria is loving it!
2022 brought one of the greatest comeback stories in Metro Centre’s history. After operating for over 80 years in Peoria, Peoria Camera Shop closed after the unfortunate passing of longtime owner Bill Dobbins. Shortly thereafter, renowned photographer Ava Kamm took the leap and reopened Peoria Camera Shop to the delight of all of Peoria!
We continued to watch our family grow this year. Our newest addition, The Popcorn Shoppe, opened with quite the success. The Metro Centre has never smelled so good! We look forward to the openings of both the Dog Haus Biergarten and The Queen of Squash in the very near future!
Our promise to give back to the community that greatly supports us is as strong as ever. We were delighted to bring back the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk in May to Metro Centre. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone back to where it all started! Metro Centre was also a stop on The Friendship’s House “Drive to Thrive” event which raises money for the agency’s much needed programs for our community. We partnered with Peoria Promise and hosted a brat sale to help their mission of providing secondary education to the future of Peoria.
Once again, the Holiday Experience is back at Metro Centre. Eat, play, connect and imagine as you explore Metro Centre’s SIX unique, multi-sensory holiday experiences. That’s right, after such amazing feedback from last year, we added an additional experience-our sweetest one yet! We invite you and your loved ones to come out and experience Metro Centre at its most magical time of the year.
As always, we are forever grateful for the support Peoria and the surrounding areas has given us. We have the best location, most incredible merchants, and look forward to the next 50 years. We have a few spaces available so if your family business is looking for a new home, consider Metro Centre. You can call or text Jason Fuller anytime at (309) 472-5172. There is truly no place like Metro Centre.
Have a happy holiday and a joy filled New Year!
Sincerely,
Jason, Jenn, Rick, Stephanie, Eric and the 40 plus Metro Centre merchants here to serve our community