By the time you are reading this, the City would have already celebrated Small Business Saturday on November 29. This tradition takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to shop locally as the gift-giving seasons kicks-off. Founded in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday is now officially cosponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As reported by the U.S. Chamber, “there are 33.2 million small businesses in the U.S. and they make up 99% of all businesses. For the past 20 years, small businesses have accounted for roughly 40% of the United States’ gross domestic output (GDP), which equates to trillions of dollars of economic activity.” Furthermore, shopping local small businesses benefits the community in ways shopping online or out of town just can’t. When you spend a dollar online, it is likely “exported” to another location where that business is headquartered, whether that be somewhere else in the U.S. or another country. Spending that dollar locally means it stays in Pekin. The owners and employees likely live in Pekin or nearby, and they likely shop here, eat here, volunteer here, send their kids to school here, and so on. Shopping local small businesses means supporting your community, and I want to encourage everyone to do just that this season.

I also want to take a moment to recognize a wonderful small business in downtown Pekin. Take Two Resale Boutique recently won a 2025 Community Choice Award by the Peoria Journal Star. The Peoria Community Choice Awards celebrate the best businesses and organizations in the Peoria area as voted on by the public. This honor not only acknowledges Take Two’s accomplishments since opening last year – it speaks to the growing vibrancy of Pekin’s small business environment. We congratulate Take Two and are proud to have them in our community.

Speaking of downtown, I would also like to welcome Take Two’s new neighbor, Sew and Stich, who opened on November 1! Their opening marks the completion of a TIF redevelopment project for the two-space building, and we could not be happier with the results: two new small businesses in the heart of our business community brought to life by a public-private partnership to revive a dilapidated building into a beautiful retail spot. Their openings, along with recent openings of Yasakani Ramen & Grill, 8th Street Café, Lange Animal Clinic, Better Benefits Group, Go Vino Bar and Grill, and the upcoming openings of Katana Hibachi & Sushi and Ensight Mental Health and Wellness, all serve as a wonderful sign that Pekin is moving forward.

We love to see big new retailers and industrial parks built out, but we can never forget the heart of our business community – the small businesses that give us character and soul. All of it is needed for a well-rounded, growing community like Pekin. Thank you to everyone supporting our growth, and especially our growing small businesses.

December 5: Christmas on Court

December 12-13: Friends in Harmony Christmas Show

December 29-31: Pekin Holiday Tournament

Visit DiscoverPekin.com to see more awesome community events!