Grow Omaha
News Briefs

OrthoNebraska will hold a ribbon cutting Tuesday, January 6, for its recently completed expansion project at 3415 South 205th Street. The 28,000 sq. ft. addition includes four operating rooms and four treatment rooms, allowing more outpatient procedures like carpal tunnel surgeries and common injections to be done quickly. The treatment rooms are equipped similarly to the operating rooms. Most patients can now get in and out in about an hour.

Brow & Lash opened last week at 3510 North 167th Circle, Suite 401. That’s just southeast of 168th & West Maple Road. Locally owned by Sravanthi Tatikonda, Brow & Lash offers professional eyebrow, wax, facial and lash services. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays. The business closes at 5 p.m. on weekends.

La Antigua, a butcher shop and general store, plans to open in a 1,600 sq. ft. space at 9505 Q Street in Applewood Plaza, according to a building permit for remodel of an existing space. – Isaiah Ang

Genesis Health Clubs will hold a ribbon cutting on January 23rd for its new gym at 3201 Farnam Street in Midtown Crossing. Genesis is taking over the former Alamo Drafthouse Cinema space.

Mechanical Contractors Association of Omaha is moving to an office near 144th & F Street from its current Ralston location. According to a building permit for remodel of existing space, MCA is remodeling 3,500 sq. ft. at 3930 South 147th Street. MCA represents skilled workers in labor relations, provides training and advocates for members before elected officials. – Isaiah Ang

Fontenelle Forest last week hosted its 126th annual Christmas Bird Count, which invites the public to tally the numbers of birds in the Forest. According to preliminary reports, volunteers identified 36 species and counted 2,554 individual birds. Some of the most frequently spotted species included European Starlings, American Robins, Canada Geese and White-breasted Nuthatches. Bald Eagles, Pileated Woodpeckers, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks and Red-headed Woodpeckers were also sighted. – Mark Champion

Mi So La Do Crafted Ramen is soft-opening at 7425 Dodge Street in the former Sakura Bana space near 74th & Dodge Street. Soft-opening menu items include tonkotsu ramen, handmade pork gyoza and takoyaki. The Japanese ramen concept is currently hiring but has yet to announce an official opening date. – Nicole Buntgen

In 2025, the RiverFront Parks have welcomed more than 2.3 million visitors, according to recent data. Throughout the year, the three parks – Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing – have hosted more than 600 events. By the end of the year, the total visitors may reach 2.8 million, which would be a nearly 50 percent increase over the number of visitors in 2024. – Isaiah Ang

Twin Peaks is officially returning to the Omaha market. The national sports bar chain will open February 2nd at 313 North 179th Street in Village Pointe West, according to a Twin Hospitality Group press release. The newly constructed, lodge-style restaurant will feature a made-from-scratch menu, wall-to-wall TVs and 64 beer taps split between two full-service bars. Twin Peaks previously operated an Omaha location near 173rd & West Center Road, which closed several years ago. – Nicole Buntgen

Topstep, a fintech firm based in Chicago, is opening a new office in Omaha. According to a building permit, the company is remodeling 12,000 square feet at 9805 Q Street. Topstep provides a platform for day traders to access and trade live capital and provides training to increase performance. – Isaiah Ang

Heartland Bike Share hosted its second Ride at The Dock fundraiser at Millwork Commons on December 17. The event invited participants to ride stationary bikes through a virtual landscape and raised about $20,000 to support HBS operations. CEO Benny Foltz rode about 126 miles over the 12-hour event. – Mark Champion

Zaytuna, a family-owned Mediterranean restaurant that opened in 2020, has permanently closed its Inner Rail Food Hall location in Aksarben Village at 1911 South 67th Street as of December 21. The restaurant’s food truck at 423 South 13th Street in downtown Omaha remains open for regular hours. – Nicole Buntgen

Smoothie King has opened its fifth Omaha-area location at 17813 Mandersen Street. That’s in a retail center still under construction northeast of 180th & West Maple Road. Other tenants planning to open in the same shopping center include L’Vinci Nails and a Kros Strain Brewing tap room. Smoothie King is a Coppell, Texas-based chain of frozen beverage shops.

The Rush Market is now open in the former Fresh Thyme grocery space at 14949 Evans Plaza along the West Maple Road corridor. Rush Market had been operating in the former Sears and Younkers stores at Oakview Mall. Fresh Thyme closed the store in late 2020. Rush Market is a furniture and home goods retailer known for selling overstocked, open-box and returned items at deep discounts.

Legacy Collective, a women’s-only club plans to open April 1st at 10730 Pacific Street, Suite 210, in Regency Landing. The for-profit club is being developed by Dr. Sasha Shillcutt, a nationally recognized physician, author and speaker based in Omaha. Legacy Collective will provide women with “a dedicated space for meaningful connections, recharging, relaxing and networking.” Women’s clubs are common in major cities, but nothing like it currently exists in Omaha.

Elevator, an Omaha coworking office business, opened additional locations in Lincoln and Kansas City on December 1, according to Silicon Prairie News. In 2022, Elevator opened its first location at 1402 Jones Street near the Old Market, bringing a concept that combined traditional office coworking space with amenities needed to meet logistical needs, including warehousing space and docking. A second location opened in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this year. A 67,000 sq. ft. location is underway in St. Louis. – Isaiah Ang

Goodwill Omaha has launched Good Threads, a boutique which aims to support individuals and families facing economic hardship by providing essential clothing and household items, free of charge. Individuals in need are referred through Goodwill’s trusted Community Partners, then are able to set up an appointment to browse the boutique. – Mark Champion

Union Pacific and Northern Suffolk filed a formal merger application with the Surface Transportation Board, the primary federal regulatory agency reviewing the historic merger. The application triggers a 30-day review of the application, one step in a lengthy review process that may take up to a year or more before a final decision is made. The 4,000-page application must be approved by the STB before required review, public comment and investigation take place. – Isaiah Ang

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is scheduled to open tomorrow – Saturday, December 20th – at 3430 North 167th Street southeast of 168th & West Maple Road. The project, contracted by Perkins-Critser Construction, had been delayed due to revisions requested by Popeyes’ corporate office. Omaha-based Eat Out Now is the owner.

Noddle Companies plans to launch a second version of Sonny’s, the outdoor bar that operates out of an Airstream camping trailer. The original Sonny’s is located in Aksarben Village and is very popular during warm-weather months. The second Airstream would be located in the Builders District on a small park recently completed between 16th and 17th streets a little south of Cuming Street. Pending approval from nearby business owners, the second Sonny’s would open this spring.