Grow Omaha
News Briefs

Golden Palace Express, a Chinese restaurant at 7633 Cass Street, has closed after seven years in business. The owners have announced that a new restaurant, Universal Thai, will take over the space. No opening date for the new restaurant has been shared. – Nicole Buntgen

American Airlines is bringing non-stop service to Philadelphia International Airport back to Omaha’s Eppley Airfield. American will offer twice-daily non-stop flights starting June 5, 2025. Tickets go on sale next week.

We have a grand opening date for Mochinut, the Hawaiian donut shop from Los Angeles. The dessert crossover business will debut its first Nebraska or Iowa store on September 10th at 3605 North 147th Street in the Shoppes at Grayhawk. In addition to its Japanese mochi and American donut fusion, the shop will also serve Korean corn dogs and boba tea. – Nicole Buntgen

A new Kia dealership is planned for the corner of 180th & Burke Street in West Village Pointe as part of a mixed-use development. The Omaha Planning Board approved a final plat of the multi-phase development. The 34,000 sq. ft. H&H dealership building will be accompanied by a new carwash facility to be built during phase two. Phase one consists of a 10,000 sq. ft. restaurant building just west of Core Bank. The final phase will be the development of a multifamily residential building on the south side, currently planned for 24 apartment flats. – Isaiah Ang

Sammy’s Sub Shop will host a soft opening at the Inner Rail Food Hall in Aksarben on September 5th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first 100 guests will receive a free sandwich. Occupying the former Noname Café + Market space, the locally-owned eatery will operate daily and also offer catering. – Nicole Buntgen

After more than 100 years in business, Wohlner’s Neighborhood Grocery will permanently close its store at 3253 Dodge Street in Midtown Crossing. Owners Bob and Dianne Kimball have decided to retire. Wohlner’s has not announced an exact closing date, but in the meantime, customers will receive 15 percent off their total purchases, marking 15 years at Wohlner’s current location.

Workers installed exterior signage today on a new retail building northeast of 72nd & Grover Street in the MH Landing development. That’s where The Salty Dog Bar & Grill soon will open its second location. Salty Dog’s first location is in Council Bluffs. The new building will also be home to the first Nebraska location of Weinerschnitzel, a popular California hotdog chain.

Club Car Wash will open its latest Omaha location later this month 3131 South 72nd Street, which is on the northeast corner of 72nd & Hascall Street. The site has been under construction for some time and was originally going to be Silverstar Carwash. Club is based in Columbia, Mo. Silverstar is from Sioux Falls, S.D.

Spirit Halloween will open September 4th at 2609 South 132nd Street in Orchard Plaza, just off 132nd & Center in the former CVS Pharmacy space. Spirit Halloween is the nation’s largest Halloween retailer with more than 1,500 stores. Another Omaha location is in Sorensen Park Plaza at 6336 North 73rd Plaza. – Nicole Buntgen

Capitol Arcade is now open at 1002 Dodge Street downtown. From the same owners as Fat Putter across the street, Capitol Arcade is an 8,000 sq. ft. bar and video arcade concept.

Clarity Development Company plans to rehabilitate two historic buildings in the Flatiron District downtown. Each building will be converted to Low Income Housing Tax Credit multifamily units. The 3-story building at 1501 Howard Street will have 16 studio and 1-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors, retail space on the first floor and 16 parking spaces in the lower floor. The building known as the Standard at 500 South 18th Street will consist of 40 studio and 1-bedroom apartments on floors two through six plus commercial space on the ground level. The Planning Board will review an application for TIF to help finance the project. – Isaiah Ang

NetPar plans to open a second metro area location in Gretna in a newly constructed retail building at 178th & Highway 370. NetPar is an upscale, indoor simulated golf business that also serves beer, cocktails, wine and a limited menu of elevated bar food. The first Omaha location opened in the Capitol District downtown back in December. Before coming to Omaha, all the other NetPar locations were in Indiana.

A new residential phase is in the works at Heartwood Preserve. The Omaha Planning Board will review an application for a major amendment to the Mixed Use District Development Agreement to allow a multi-family development on a 4.59-acre lot north of Ovation Heartwood Preserve Assisted Living. The site was originally approved for an office building up to 50,000 sq. ft. The new plans call for three, 6-story buildings with 36 condominium units in each. The complex will include a courtyard area with lawn space, swimming pool and other amenities. – Isaiah Ang

Williamsburg Pizza plans to open a second Omaha-area location in a to-be-constructed, 6-story building southeast of 72nd & Farnam Street. But it won’t happen for quite a while, because construction has not yet started. Williamsburg is small chain of pizzerias with locations in New York City and one in Omaha at 168th & Harrison Street.

Country Sampler will soon reopen as The Sampler at its new location, 14513 Center Road, near 144th & West Center Road. That’s just 2.7 miles from its previous 120th & Center location. The local quilt shop has yet to announce an official opening date. – Nicole Buntgen

A warehouse located at 13423 F Street is getting a second life as an indoor pickleball facility. According to Planning Board documentation, Ace Pickleball Club will have 14 indoor courts. The facility will also have a 400 sq. ft. event room. Hours are expected to be from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday, with Sunday hours ending at 6 p.m. The building is 32,600 sq. ft. and neighbors an industrial building occupied by Heartland Steel. The operators are seeking a special use permit to allow indoor recreation in a General Industrial District. – Isaiah Ang

Millwork Commons may be getting a hotel. The Disbrow Building, also known as the Radford Building, south the Ashton Building, could become a 135-room boutique hotel. According to the TIF application, the $57 million project will transform the long-vacant building into a key component of the district. Located on the same block as the Dizzy Mule project already under construction, the Millwork Hotel would also have 7,000 sq. ft. of retail space and an atrium. A 4th floor would be added, including a rooftop bar. The Dizzy Mule project consists of two new 5-story apartment buildings with 172 units and 18,000 sq. ft. of retail space. – Isaiah Ang

Con Amor, a Latin-inspired restaurant, will soon open in Valley at 215 North Spruce Street in the former Simply Delicious space. Tentative opening date is in three weeks. The restaurant focuses on authentic Latin, Central and South American dishes infused with the owner’s unique flavors. Con Amor is currently open for takeout and is hiring for a head chef. – Nicole Buntgen

Hola Seoul, a new Korean-Mexican food concept, will open inside Kamp Blackstone, the food hall at 3618 Farnam Street, on September 6th. The fusion eatery will celebrate its opening with a Nite Market, offering items like Supa Tots, Seoulpremes, and other street foods plus drinks available that night only, including Kimbap, Fish Cake Skewers, Kimchi Pancakes and Horchata Ice Shots. – Nicole Buntgen

Last week, Grow Omaha reported the city plans to build a 600-stall parking garage in Millwork Commons just east of the Ashton Building. A Planning Board application for TIF shows that developers plan to build a $44 million multifamily apartment building west of the Ashton. The applications shows a 5-story, 146-unit building consisting of 55 2-bedroom units and 94 1-bedroom units. The ground floor will have a single 10,000 sq. ft. retail bay and 65 covered parking stalls. The building will also have two large decks on the second-floor roof. – Isaiah Ang