Nailon’s Plumbing Supplies is one of Peoria’s oldest businesses. This family-owned business located on the corner of Liberty and Water Street has been selling plumbing supplies for over 135 years. I’ve done blogs on this locally-owned business in the past and you can see those by clicking here and here.

That last link was about how fourth-generation owner, Larry Nailon was looking to sell the building back in 2017.

Well, things have changed since I posted that link and now Larry has decided to retire and shut down Nailon’s Plumbing Supplies but he’s decided to keep the building and another business will be expanding into this space.

Scroll on down to see what I’m talking about as we revisit Nailon’s Plumbing Supplies for one last time.

I love the signage on display here!

Here’s a little trip back in time. This is the building back in the early 1900’s when it was a Swift’s Meat Factory. Larry’s family bought the building in 1963 and they’ve been in business here ever since.

And now it’s finally closing time for Nailon’s Plumbing Supplies.

Let’s go in and take one last look at this historic Peoria business.

There’s a familiar face, fourth-generation owner, Larry Nailon.

Last year Larry spent three months in the hospital after bumping his head and suffering from brain bleed. You can read all the details in this article by Phil Luciano in the PJ Star.

After recovering, Larry decided it was time to retire and enjoy life and the timing was perfect as there’s someone waiting to take over the space in this historical building.

More about that soon, but first let’s take a few final photos in here.

As you can see, the place is being torn down and deconstructed.

Lots of historic photos in here along with that deer fellow in the middle.

Oh deer, here’s four more!

While the store is officially closed, there’s still inventory in here that can probably be bought for a decent price.

Here’s Larry with his wife Chris. They said they’re looking forward to retirement and for now they plan on staying in the area.

And they revealed what’s going to take over this space.

It turns out that a bakery/coffee shop opened up in the building last May called Ardor Breads and Provisions. They took over the front half of the building that faces Water Street and once this side is all cleared out, they’re going to expand into the space.

I had no idea about this new bakery, so I decided to take a walk down and check it out.

And here we are at 301 SW Water Street, right next to the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria.

They’ve been open since May and I have no idea why I haven’t noticed it till today.

Let’s go in and check it out!

Wow, it’s really nice in here and this is the owner of Ardor, Cody Scogin. Cody says that business has been fantastic and said I was free to take some photos.

So let’s start snapping!

I love the wooden bar and that is one heavy-duty industrial oven.

All the wood and brick give the place a genuine rustic feel. It’s a nice warm atmosphere in here.

All the freshly-baked breads and pastries look so tasty and delicious! They also have a nice selection of fresh-brewed coffee and tea.

I worked up an appetite taking those photos and decided to order some lunch.

And since there was no one else in here, I threw Covid caution to the wind and decided to dine in!

There’s the table I chose and here’s my view from where I’m perched.

Here’s Bryan delivering my lunch to me.

I got a dish they call a “Sourdough Slab.” It’s kind of their version of pizza and it’s slices of freshly baked sourdough bread topped with tangy sauce, cheese and spices.

It really hit the spot and it was so delicious. It was also filling, so I didn’t have room for any of those tasty pastries, but I will return and try the sweet stuff in here soon!