Weekly Market Report – July 22, 2021

Restaurant & Retail Updates

Mouth of the South Goes East – Mouth of the South, which serves southern cuisine and Cajun food at 168th & West Center Road, plans to open a second location in the former Old Chicago space at 1111 Harney Street in the Old Market. The new location should be open by the end of the year.

Sub-Sandwich Shake-Up – Pickleman’s Gourmet Café will open a new location during the first quarter of 2022 in the current Jimmy John’s end-cap bay northwest of 168th & Harrison Street. That will happen after Jimmy John’s moves to a free-standing building currently under construction nearby at 16869 Audrey Street. The new location will be Pickleman’s seventh Omaha location.

“This We’ll Defend” – Grunt Style, a San Antonio-based online retailer of patriotic apparel, is opening its first-ever bricks-and-mortar location at Nebraska Crossing near Interstate 80 and Highway 31. The soft opening is planned for July 28th with an official grand opening August 20th. The retailer’s slogan is “Pride in self, in military and in country.”

Also at NEX – Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming has opened its first Nebraska location at Nebraska Crossing. Woof Gang is a leading specialty retailer of pet food, pet supplies and professional grooming. The Orlando-based company has 150 locations primarily in the southeastern United States. The closest previously existing location to Omaha was in Kansas City.

Coffee on Dodge – Construction has started on a free-standing Starbuck’s location in the parking lot of a recently renovated commercial building at 8601 Dodge Street. The 2,400 sq. ft. building will include a drive-through and indoor seating.

The parking lot has room to the east for the construction of an additional 4,000 sq. ft. building. The ownership prefers a new-to-the-market restaurant occupy that pad site, according to leasing agent Spencer Morrissey of NAI NP Dodge. In-line retail spaces are available on the ground level of the main building. Office spaces on the second and third floors are available with great views.

The “Restaurant & Retail Updates” section is sponsored by TR Construction, and Omaha-based commercial and industrial company “building concrete excellence.”

The Big Story

BREAKING NEWS:
Good Life Sports Bar Changes Hands

High Life, LLC, a group of local investors led by Aaron McKeever, Nick Heimann and Lori Heimann, has purchased the three local Good Life Sports Bars and The Good Life Lounge.

The new owners will also proceed with completion and opening of the Good Life Sports Bar & Grill now under consttruction at U.S. Highway 6 and Lincoln Road in Gretna.

“We are excited to acquire these popular local establishments and plan to retain all of the current staff with no plans to change current operations,” McKeever said. “I have put together a group of successful local business people in this venture, and we look forward to growing this great brand”

Rumors have been floating for weeks that Greg Cutchall of Omaha-based Cutchall Management Company was purchasing the restaurants. A call to Cutchall’s office this morning confirmed that he is part of the new ownership group, however, he will serve as more of a consultant rather than being involved in day-to-day operations.

Under the previous onwership, the Good Life was involved in an underaged drinking controversy. Shortly thereafter, word was out that the business was for sale.

In addition to the future Gretna location, Good Life has locations near 180th & Pacific Street, 202nd & West Maple Road and 96th & Highway 370.

This section is sponsored by SEi. For more than 50 years, Security Equipment Incorporated has been your Omaha owned, trusted security partner. SEI protects life and property by designing, installing, monitoring and servicing your security, fire, video surveillance and access control systems. Learn more HERE!

Grow Omaha Snippets

Grow Omaha Snippets Sponsored by:

Construction is now in full swing on The Clove apartment building on the site of the former Village Inn and Rodeway Inn near 78th & Dodge Street. The $35 million, 5-story building will have 175 apartment units, an outdoor pool and indoor parking.

Aerial Views – Have you watched our July Grow Omaha Construction Update? In this month’s edition, our official photographer Brad Williams charters a helicopter for a bird’s eye view of downtown development projects. Brad highlights several suburban projects too. See the video HERE.

Official Groundbreaking – Fareway Meat & Grocery held an official groundbreaking ceremony earlier this morning for its future store at 604 South Highway 6 in Gretna. The 21,000 sq. ft. store is part of a new development, which will include a Casey’s General Store and a drive-through restaurant.

Real estate developer Ryan Kuehl is planning to renovate three historic buildings southeast of 15th & Farnam Street downtown into the Trio Project, according to KETV. Plans call for 18 apartment units and 8,700 sq. ft. of retail space.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert presented a general fund budget to the Omaha City Council this week that would reduce the property tax rate by 2 percent. Additionally, the voter-authorized levy increase approved in 2020 to pay for street preservation will be deferred for the second year in a row.

This section is sponsored by Midtown Crossing, an energetic, eclectic destination in the heart of Omaha. Be sure and stay connected to all the new retailer announcements, food and drink specials and the lively line-up of events in Turner Park by clicking HERE!

Eagle Mortgage Home Loan Services

Eagle Mortgage is a locally owned, full-service mortgage company helping you with Conventional, VA, FHA and USDA loans in both Nebraska & Iowa, including the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.

Whether you are buying a home or looking to refinance an existing loan, Eagle Mortgage can help you realize your dream of homeownership or help you save money by obtaining a lower monthly payment. Eagle has plenty of experience with first-time home buyers too.

Learn more HERE!

Local Business News

Local Business News Sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland:

Vericred, a New York-based insurance technology company, has opened a 4,650 sq. ft. Omaha office at 10825 Farnam Drive in Old Mill. Vericred is a startup company, which recently completed $23 million in Series B funding. The company, which plans to hire 40 local employees, chose Omaha because of its insurance industry talent and emerging startup scene.

Omaha-based Scoular announced Tuesday that it has hired a full trading and support team of nine employees from Central States Enterprises. The Orlando-based team will provide rail grain merchandising and supply chain solutions to Eastern U.S. customers.

Lockbox Storage of Omaha, which has multiple self-storage properties in Nebraska and Iowa, has sold three of its properties to Glendale, Calif.-based Public Storage for a total of $27.5 million. The properties are located at 301 South 74th Street, 18175 Emiline Street and 11163 South 168th Street.

Omaha-based HDR has formed a dedicated, multi-disciplinary building engineering services practice in Canada to expand the long-standing architecture and engineering portfolio for Canadian clients. The move follows the July 2019 acquisition of Hurley Palmer Flatt Group, a U.K.-based independent engineering consultancy providing solutions for the built environment.

Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2021 second quarter net income of $1.8 billion, or $2.72 per diluted share. This compares to $1.1 billion, or $1.67 per diluted share, in the second quarter 2020. The Omaha-based, Fortune 500 company operates in 23 western states.

This section is sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland, the local, trusted franchise experts. They are “in the business of helping you get into business!”

All Grow Omaha Content Now on Video!

The Grow Omaha radio show broadcasts live every Saturday morning at 9:00, but now you can watch videos of each episode instead of just listening.

Grow Omaha’s brand-new website features video footage shot inside the radio studio during each week’s show!

Videos include News of the Week, Lightning Round, guest interviews, and “Grow Omaha Uncut,” a behind-the-scenes look at what happens during commercial breaks.

Support the Grow “O” Mission

Don’t keep this newsletter to yourself. Forward it to your friends, clients and co-workers. You want to know the real reason we produce this report? It’s to remind Omahans about the vibrant, prosperous and growing city they call home. The more Omaha residents believe in their city, the more successful we’ll all be. Spread the news!

Know of someone else who wants to receive this newsletter? Have them send their name and email address to news@growomaha.com!