My favorite thing this week...

... are these Barnwick Candles.


The wick is all natural organic and crackles when it burns (like a fire... a good fire-- one that would be in a fireplace or that you'd roast marshmallows on, not like a grease fire). It also has very little soot.

I bring them for Hostess Gifts because they pack nicely, have a ton of different flavors (I brought Mulberry to my boyfriend's parents' house last weekend and Cinnamon to the Fourth of July party I went to), and are 7.99 (a steal, I promise you).

Tasting Recap

Friday's Greek Wine Tasting was a lot of fun and pretty tasty.

I like wine and drink it semi-regularly, but I am by no means an expert. The above lady in pink seemed to know what she was doing, so I just kept tasting what she did. This plan served me well!

Uncle Pierre kept distracting me from the tasting at hand, but heck-- he is the boss:


Keep in mind our Greek Wine Specials are going on through July 25th!

A Taste of Greece

If you have never been down to UFS for one of our wine tasting here is your chance. Friday, July 17th we are having a wine tasting that will feature some wines of Greece... Not quite the sultry summer vacation I was hoping to take to the Greek Isles, but I'm hoping if I close my eyes and sip slowly it will feel close.

Bring a friend-- Friday, 2-6 pm (nothing quite so decadent as sipping wine in the middle of a Friday afternoon!).

First up is a 2006 Skouras Megas Oenos (try saying that three times fast). According to "Wine & Spirits" magazine "a touch of smoky oak adds polish" to this red wine "but not so much as to cover up the warm, cherry-red fruit and forest floor fragrance." Furthermore it was given a 93 rating by the magazine (and heck, they know their stuff). Get it for less at UFS! A 750 ml bottle will cost you $19.99!

Another wine we'll be tasting is the 2008 Sigalas Santorini, which is a white wine that was given a rating of 90 by "Wine & Spirits". The magazine calls it "unusually forward" which is how I like my wine... and my men, I won't lie... Take a bottle home for $16.99.

Another tasty, tasty buy is the 2008 Sigalas Asirtiko Athiri. Rated at a 90, "Wine & Spirits" reviewed it as "fragrant with honeysuckle and rich with sweet pineapple flavor". This is a perfect summer wine with an even summer-y (yes, I'm pretty sure that's a word) price of $11.99.

"Polished and elegant yet succulent and juicy"-- No, "Wine & Spirits" is not describing me! But rather the 2007 Skouras St. George. Modern, yet soulfull, (another description that could pertain to me) this red with a 90 rating is priced at $10.99. Who knew soul was so affordable?

The 2008 Skouras Moschofilero, which is rated at 88 by "Wine & Spirits", is a rich white that goes great with grilled fish. And if you need some grilling utensils-- hey! we have those too! At the bargain price of $11.99 a bottle, you'll have some cash leftover for this cool grilling tool:
Last up are our two extreme value wines-- the 2008 Skouras White and the 2007 Skouras Red. At $6.99 you can afford to stock up for you End of Summer Parties... or your Mid-July Shin-Digs... or your Friday Night Get-Togethers... or even your Tuesday Night "Stay At Homes"! Because a nice bottle of wine needs no occasion. ;)

An Introduction... Really.

My family has owned and operated UFS for the past 30 years. As a third generation retailer, I am proud to bring you The Real Deal-- the online guide to UFS.

Some Peorians still think of us as the Unclaimed Freight Store. You see, back in the 1940's the original owner would go down to the freight yards where they had misc. freight no one had claimed. He would pay pennies on the dollar for the merchandise and sell it to locals for incredibly low prices. So he might have cases of cans without any labels-- you could be eating peaches or you could be eating peas... At five cents a can though, customers were willing to take the risk! This idea grew into a business he called "Unclaimed Freight Store".

As the business grew he moved into a building to store and sell his goods. In 1967 Unclaimed Freight Store built a store on SW Adams Street. My grandfather, Mitchell Serafin, was hired as general manager and the business thrived on what was then the south part of downtown Peoria. My grandfather bought a share of the business from one of two brothers, and then in 1985 he bought the remaining interest from the other brother. Today my uncle, Pierre, and my father, Tom Wiegand, are in charge!

In 2003 we invested over $2,000,000.00 to develop the area across the street from our main store. The new store was opened as an Ashley Furniture Home Store. In 2007 we decided to part ways with the Ashley Company and that building is now the UFS Furniture and Mattress Outlet managed by my mother, Claire Wiegand. This building houses not only furniture and mattresses but also appliances and cabinets.I'm here to bring you the latest news and best deals UFS has to offer! Come back soon or visit our website now!