Grow Omaha
News Briefs

Summer Kitchen Café in Sterling Ridge is doubling in size. Renovation work is now under way in the retail bay immediately west of Summer Kitchen’s location at 1110 Sterling Ridge Drive. The west bay was previously home to Arc Bridal Boutique, which is now at Loveland Centre near 90th & Center Street. When the expanded space opens, the Summer Kitchen Café will occupy 4,000 sq. ft.

Jersey Mike’s Subs opened earlier today in Westwood Plaza at 12327 West Center Road in the former Tide Dry Cleaners location. Tide Dry Cleaners had previously moved next door. Jersey Mike’s has six previously existing Omaha-area locations.

WheatFields Express opened for business this morning at 18902 Evans Street. That’s in an end-cap space on the south side of West Maple Road. This second location features a drive-thru lane and a self-serve, grab-and-go section. The store offers quiche, soups, sandwiches and bakery items. The original Wheatfield’s restaurant is in One Pacific Place near 103rd & Pacific Street.

A developer has plans for five vacant lots at 28th & Charles Street in north Omaha. On the south side of the street, plans call for a two-unit, side-by-side townhouse building for rent. Each unit will be 2,000 sq. ft. and will rent for $2,200 per month. On the north lots, two 1,700 sq. ft., single family houses will be available to rent for $1,800 per month. Each residential unit will have 3-bedrooms. The developer is seeking $240,000 in Tax Increment Financing for the $1.6 million project. – Isaiah Ang

Platte River Orthodontics plans to open a practice at 11844 Standing Stone Drive, Suite 120, in Gretna, according to Will Schneidewind of NAI NP Dodge, who represents the building’s landlord. Opening is planned for October. The 2,454 sq. ft. space was previously occupied by Nexus Vision. The practice is owned by Dr. Chad Carter.

Godega Market opened its second location late last week in Aksarben Village. The locally owned coffee shop and convenience market now occupies the former Zoup space on the ground floor of HDR’s global headquarters building at 1917 South 67th Street. Godega Market’s original location is at 423 South 11th Street in the Old Market.

Mercy Thai opened a second Omaha restaurant today at 7622 Dodge Street in the former La Guanaca space. The original location is at 4741 South 96th Street on the southeast corner of 96th & L Street. The locally owned Thai restaurant serves lunch and dinner six days a week. Mercy Thai is not affiliated with the Council Bluffs restaurant of the same name.

Vera Mercer, owner of La Buvette Wine & Grocery in the Old Market, has closed Buvette Delicatessen, a related business next door. La Buvette is at 511 South 11th Street, while Buvette Delicatessen, formerly known as Mercer & Sons Deli, operated at 509 South 11th Street until it closed last week. The former deli space will become an extension of La Buvette, where most of the deli menu items will still be available. A majority of the deli employees will still work at La Buvette.

The southeast corner of Poppleton and Park avenues will be home to for-rent townhomes. We recently reported that developer, inCOMMON, had broken ground on an adjacent lot for a 51-unit apartment building. According to a TIF application, inCommon also plans to build a $3.3 million, seven-townhome building, using a $217,000 TIF loan. Each 2-story, 3-bedroom townhome will be 1,152 sq. ft. and cost between $1,600 to $1,800 to rent. Two of the units are reserved for households making at or below 80 percent of the area median income. The other five are reserved for households making at or below 120 percent. Construction will start this fall and be completed in late 2026. – Isaiah Ang

The Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Minnesota to Arkansas, moved above the 50.0 growth neutral threshold for a fifth straight month. The index declined to 51.0 from April’s higher 53.3. Approximately, 34.8 percent of supply managers reported switching suppliers due to tariffs, both proposed and implemented.

Nebraska’s first ACE Pickleball Club has opened at 13423 F Street. The business offers 13 courts with 26-foot ceiling heights. The Georgia-based company was founded in 2022 and now has 20 locations in 13 states with several more coming soon.

Coneflower Creamery has officially opened its third location at 2625 North Main Street in Olde Town Elkhorn. The nationally recognized “farm-to-cone” ice cream shop also operates in the Blackstone District and Millwork Commons. – Nicole Buntgen

The City of Omaha continues to work on its updated comprehensive plan, named “We Make Omaha.” After extensive public engagement, the city drafted several guiding principals, which address areas of safety, affordability, sustainability, connectivity and diversity. The plan will determine future land use policy, infill strategies and establish goals for future development over the next 20 years. The city plans to complete the plan by early 2027. – Isaiah Ang

Get Real Sandwiches will permanently close June 8 at 3901 Farnam Street in the Blackstone District. The artisanal sandwich shop opened in March 2022 and is known for its locally sourced ingredients, breakfast items, soups, salads and cocktails. – Nicole Buntgen

UNO held a groundbreaking last week for a $17.1 million addition to its Biomechanics Research Building. The principal benefactor is Ruth Scott and the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation. The 3-story addition will add 19,000 sq. ft. to the east end of the existing building and will include laboratory, instructional and office spaces when it opens in 2028. Additionally, it will be home to the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics, which was established in 2024 with a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The Biomechanics Research Building was the first in the world dedicated to the field of study when it was built in 2013. – Isaiah Ang

BT Party Cove, a new private event venue, will open in June at 166 South 2nd Street in downtown Springfield. The space includes indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar, DJ and sound system setup, and can accommodate up to 120 guests. A grand opening will take place June 6 at 4 p.m. – Nicole Buntgen

Local businessman Bob Pelshaw is converting the former Kitty Clover potato chip factory in South Omaha into Clover 24, a venue for artists and entrepreneurs, according to WOWT. Located on the northwest corner of 24th & Martha Street, Clover 24 will offer studios for artists and co-working space for entrepreneurs.

The City of Omaha plans to add 3,558 people and 1,438 acres in its 2025 Annexation Package. A large majority of the annexation includes Flanagan Lake and surrounding areas, encompassing SID 427 and includes the Stone Creek and Copper Ridge subdivisions. The annexation package include a couple lots in West Hampton Park near 204th & Blondo Parkway, the 5th floor condominiums on the top of the Aloft Hotel at 180th & Burke Street and Center Ridge subdivision at 192nd & West Center Road. The package will go through the review process, beginning with the Omaha Planning Board next week. – Isaiah Ang

Three of Omaha’s five Orangetheory Fitness locations have changed ownership. Jeff Lorenz, who has owned both of Lincoln’s Orangetheory locations for the past seven years, purchased three Omaha franchises from his family members this past April. The three locations are at 159 North 78th Street, 16909 Burke Street and 14450 Eagle Run Drive. Lorenz is offering former members and new members limited time grand re-opening rates. Based in Florida, Orangetheory Fitness has approximately 1,500 locations worldwide.

The Bread Barn recently opened at 6401 Capehart Road in Papillion. The local farmstand operates Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until sold out. It offers sourdough bread, eggs, cakes and cookies through a self-serve system that accepts cash, Venmo and PayPal. - Nicole Buntgen