Growing up I loved to draw and so did my brother Jim. We’d spend countless hours drawing pictures and listening to music in our room that we shared. I started out drawing in pencil and then moved on to pastels and a rapidograph ink pen. I used to love to go to The T-Square art store on the corner of Sheridan Road and Loucks and get supplies and look around in there. I’m not sure when it closed, but it’s now a business called, Trico Copiers. Personally I find it amazing in this day and age that a copy store even exists, so let’s go make like the Richmeister and see what’s going on in there. To the MBIP Mobile!
Off we go on a partly cloudy and freezing day. But *knocks wood* we haven't had hardly any snow here so I can't complain, even though I constantly do.
There it is up ahead, the former building that was once The T-Square and is now Trico Copiers.
I've always liked the way this building fits the corner perfectly. It goes this way and it goes that way to perfectly fill up this corner slot at Sheridan and Loucks. I could stand here and marvel at it all day, but we must keep moving along!
Like so many great adventures, this one begins with the turning of a knob!
Wow, it sure looks different than when The T-Square was here selling art supplies.
This is Colin who inhabits the front desk up here. He told me that they've been in this space since 1989 and they are locally owned and the owner of Trico Copiers is Jason Vance. Nice that a local owner is still doing business here. He said I could wander around and take photos, so wander we shall!
Here's some of the copy machines up front, Colin said they still do a steady business making copies in here, which amazed me. They are Peoria's only locally-owned copy shop left.
Here's different colored paper to choose from. This whole place brings back '90's nostalgia for me, I keep expecting to hear this go off in the background.
Tico's Copiers also sells and services copy machines and as you can see, it's getting a little festive in here!
They also do computer repair and have IT service available in here, just to dispel the '90's vibe that I can't shake in this place! Being in a copy shop definitely brings back fishwrap fanzine memories for me!
This statue appears to be having an identity crisis, it doesn't know if it wants to be Indiana Jones or E.J. Gallo.
This dog-man statue kind of freaks me out a little, let's just move slowly away from it!
Let's go back here and see what's going on...
There's a break area back here complete with a round table, paper towels and a half-eaten package of strawberry cookies. And a woman who's wondering what the hell I'm doing, let's go say hi to her...
This is Megan who was answering phones back here, great to meet her!
Megan said I could look inside of their refrigerator, which sends a thrill down my spine! Yes, I'm easily amused, you got a problem with that? I didn't think so. Let's take a look...
They've got milk, a can of Monster, a couple cans of diet Coke and two mysterious unmarked containers of some sort of cheese product...
I love the fact that they have a lot of salad dressings and condiments but no actual food to put it on. It's a twin refrigerator to...
The MBIP fridge! All liquids and condiments and no solid food!
Here's a shot of Trico's from the back of the store. Being in here has brought back memories of hanging out in here when it was The T-Square and has reminded me of how I used to love to sit in a room and draw pictures. It's weird, when I discovered I loved to write in 1986, I completely stopped drawing and traded my colored pastels in for a typewriter and then a computer. I've only got two drawings of mine left from the past and they're hanging on the walls at the official MBIP World Headquarters. Let's go over there and I'll show them to you.
This is a drawing of The Blues Brothers I did using this Annie Leibovitz photo as a point of reference.
Here's a devilish portrait of "Richard The Nixon."
When Nixon died in 1994, I taped this article from Rolling Stone about the obituary that Hunter S. Thompson wrote about the fallen ex-President. Part of the obit he wrote read: "He was a swine of a man and a jabbering dupe of a president. Nixon was so crooked that he needed servants to help him screw his pants on every morning." Ha! You can read the full obituary here: "He Was A Crook." Thanks to the folks at Trico Copiers for letting me wander around in there and take pictures and have full access to their fridge! We'll see you all tomorrow!
Trico Copiers
2627 N Sheridan Rd
Peoria, IL
309-686-0200
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