I’ve been doing this blog for over two and a half years now and I’ve met so many people and found so many special places in and around Peoria. One town that’s nearby Peoria that I’ve really taken a liking to is Lacon. It’s just a 27 minute car ride from Peoria and there’s so much fun stuff happening there. Check out this tour of Lacon I took last year.
The first time I went to Lacon was almost two years ago in August of 2013. I went there to do a Shop Hop of a store I heard really cool things about, Julie’s Corner Store. I had heard that this store sold toys, fudge, wine and lots of other fun items. I went and met the owner Julie and really had a good time there. After that Julie’s Corner Store became a semi-regular stop here on MBIP and I even became the first person to spit wine into their wine spittoon, which was a banner day for me! Check it out in this picture below:
Well, all good things come to an end and I heard that Julie’s Corner Store is going to be closing soon and Julie’s going to start a new chapter in her life. I was sad when I heard the news, but I know how that goes and when one door closes another opens up. I’m sure that there’s some great things in Julie’s future and I’m looking forward to see what that brings to her and to Lacon.
In the meantime we need to get there for one final wine spit before she packs up the spittoon and shuts down Julie’s Corner Store. To the MBIP Mobile!
Off we go on this partly cloudy day where it’s still way too fucking bright for my tastes. The good news is I’ve finally found a local eye doctor and I have plans to get fitted for some prescription sunglasses! Stay tuned for that eventuality coming up soon here on MBIP!
The worst thing about driving to Lacon is having to go over the bridge that leads into the town. Time to white knuckle it and keep zooming along while fear fills up the MBIP Mobile.
It always feels like the tentacles of this bridge are going to reach out, grab the MBIP Mobile and dump us into the river below...ahhhh!
Okay, we’ve safely made it to the other side in one piece and there’s Julie’s Corner Store on the corner of the street. Where else would it be? I mean, come on, get real!
Let’s hope there’s still some wine left in there!
Time to step lively and take a final look around at Julie’s Corner Store...
All the fudge is gone, but there’s lots of bargains in here...
And as you can see, the store is still pretty well-stocked with bargain-basement prices.
If you want to get some Christmas gifts at a great price, now’s the time to stop in here before it’s all gone.
Santa’s even come out to take a look around in here.
Oh deer!
If that Diners and Drive-In, dipshit, Guy Fieri is on your Christmas list, then this is the place to get him something special!
Check out the Blackhawks hoodie! Go Hawks! Oh wait, they already went...never mind!
Here she is, the owner of Julie’s Corner Store, Julie, giving us a final wave from behind the counter!
I told her I was a little sad about the closing and then I looked over and saw this crying towel. Time to keep moving forward in here...
Past another sign telling us what we must do...
And that’s head back to the wine bar!
Uh oh, the wine shelves don’t have any wine left on them...that coupled with the fact that this is my last trip to Julie’s Corner Store led to a little breakdown...
Waaaahhhh!
After that outburst, Julie dug up the last bottle of wine left in here and I settled down...
And had a drink, which can only lead to one thing...
The lips are pursed and ready to...
Spit into the Julie’s Corner Store Spittoon! I love it! Julie told me that I’m the only one who’s ever spit into the spittoon through the years and I have to admit that fills me up with a lot of pride!
After the spit-take Julie cleaned off the spittoon and said I could have it! How cool is that? I really want to thank Julie not only for that nice present but for the fun times in her store.
Julie told me that while Julie’s Corner Store is closing, the building will still be in use. Currently Julie is conducting Essential Oil classes in here and you can read about those classes by clicking here. There’s four classes you can still sign up for in August on the 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th. And Julie also told me that her homemade fudge is still going to be available in the area and pointed me in the direction of that aforementioned fudge...
She told me to go over and take a look around in the Coffee Hub a block down the road on the other side of the street.
And so here we are, let’s go inside and see if we can find fudge!
While this place is called the Coffee Hub, it sells much more than cups of hot Joe, there’s ice cream, bagels, sandwiches, vintage soda pop and it’s a fun place to hang out in.
Just ask Josh and Tara who are busy putting together a jigsaw puzzle in the back room.
Here’s the Coffee Hub owner, Mike, who’s Julie’s husband. I bet he knows where the fudge is at in here and he told me to turn around...
And there it is! Julie’s Corner Store homemade fudge lives on in the Coffee Hub! Sometimes you just need to say, “Fudge it!” and this is the place in Lacon to say that now!
And here’s Marissa looking pretty behind the fudge counter just waiting to serve you up, so stop by soon.
Meanwhile, back at MBIP Headquarters I’ve put up the Julie’s Corner Store Spittoon up next to the MBIP letters I got back on my first visit to Julie’s Corner Store. Good luck to Julie and thanks for the fun times at the store and I look forward to see what happens in the next chapter of your interesting life! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Julie’s Corner Store
233 5th Street
Lacon, Illinois
309-246-2262
facecrack page
The Coffee Hub
318 5th St
Lacon, Illinois
309-554-9057
Related Posts: A First Visit To The Coffee Hub and Spitting Wine Into A Bucket At Julie’s Corner Store in Lacon—Oh What A Glorious Day! and Drinking Wine At Julie’s Corner Store (Spo-Dee-O-Dee).