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In
1998 my wife and I took a trip to Dublin, Ireland.
During our week there we crammed in the history, the
culture, the food, and yes, a Guinness or two. I
am sure like everyone else who has visited the Emerald
Isle, we are anxious to go back. Until then, there
is a store in Peoria Heights that will satisfy our
craving for brown bread and Bewley's coffee.
That
store is Harp and Thistle Imports Ltd. and it is
co-owned by Betty Rohman and Ann O'Neill. The store
opened in March of 1999, as Betty stated, "We met at a
St. Patrick's Society meeting, discovered that we had
been to several of the same Irish themed shops, and the
rest is history." Betty and Ann's backgrounds are
as unique as their store; Betty by trade is a registered
nurse and grew up in Peoria working at her parents
flower shop, Flanagan Flowers. Ann is a
teacher by trade and was born in County Tipperary,
Ireland.
The
two opened the store because of the love of their
heritage and were anxious to bring to Peoria the quality
products of Ireland. Products such as Celtic
jewelry and Waterford crystal, but also offer a variety
of Guinness and Irish themed clothing, Irish food and
drink products, and even Scottish and Welsh products.
Harp & Thistle is the only licensed dealer of Guinness
products between Chicago and St. Louis. Each year
Betty and Ann travel to Dublin to go to "Showcase
Ireland in Dublin" which is a trade show for giftware
made in Ireland. Betty said, "We try to get items
from both well known artists and products , as well as
those artists and products that may not be as well
known." Both are members of the North American
Celtic Buyers Association. The NACBA is now
sponsoring a drawing for a trip for four to Ireland.
Entry blanks are available at Harp & Thistle, drawing to
be held March 17 with the winner receiving a $100
shopping spree at Harp & Thistle. The drawing winner
then will be eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing in
April in New York.
Betty
and Ann say that one of the best aspects of operating
Harp & Thistle is being able to listen to customers talk
about their own heritage. They have even helped a
few customers trace their heritage in Ireland, as well
as, assisted customers planning trips to Ireland.
Both are also active in, and supportive of, community
events, another aspect of being co-owners of Harp &
Thistle that they enjoy. Betty and Ann are members
of the St. Patrick's Society, active with Peoria's Erin
Feis, "Ceildh" - a fundraiser for the Celtic Cross Bag
Pipe Band who compete each year in Scotland, and Betty
is Vice President of Friends of Clonmel,
Peoria's Irish sister city organization.
Harp &
Thistle have been underwriters for Thistle and
Shamrock on WCBU for the past year. Betty
mentioned, "Several of our customers thought that we put
together Thistle and Shamrock, and WCBU was
airing if for us!" Betty and Ann's future plans
are to continue to bring quality products and service to
their customers. They are also excited about the growth
of specialty shops in Peoria Heights, a main reason
their store is located in Peoria Heights. Harp &
Thistle is located at 4605 N. Prospect Road or visit
them on the web at
www.harpandthistleimports.com. Store hours are
Monday through Saturday 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., closed on
Sundays. |
