NIU’s Regional History Center will host a reception for its exhibit, BUY LOCAL: The evolution of advertising in northern Illinois commerce.

Katharine White, curator of manuscripts for the regional history center, said the exhibit looks at advertising in the greater Northern Illinois region from the 1800s to the 1990s and focuses on local businesses.

A few of the businesses included in the exhibit are the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, 1586 Barber Greene Road, Pizza Villa, 824 W. Lincoln Highway, and Suburban Apartments, 1400 Twombly Road, all of which are still in business.

“Pizza Villa is very flattered to be in such an exhibit,” said Pizza Villa owner Larry Finn. “It’s very cool, I’ll have to go check it out.”

Finn said Pizza Villa has been open in DeKalb since 1956, and in its current location on Lincoln Highway since 1969.

According to an NIUToday press release, the exhibit is part of American Archives Month. American Archives Month is designed to raise awareness that archives exist and are usually open to the public, White said.

The Regional History Center houses the archives of NIU and the greater Northern Illinois region.

“We have [university] presidents’ papers, records from student organizations and departments, as well as date books and diaries,” White said. “We have collections to back all of the items shown in the exhibit.”

White said the reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 13 in the reading room of the Regional History Center.

The Regional History Center will have someone available at the exhibit to answer questions, but the focus of the reception is to celebrate that it is American Archives Month, White said.

“We want to let people know we are here and have an awesome exhibit available,” White said.