A History of Grocery Stores in North Omaha

Some of us can get groceries everyday. Others others manage all their shopping done once a month, and still others can’t afford to get groceries at all and rely on food banks. Whether going into a convenience store, megastore, gas station or mom-and-pop shop, we get milk, bread, cereal, bananas, muffins, and a lot more, all the time. North Omaha was built around grocery stores, raising their values and encouraging development.

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The First Stores

Between the 1810s and 1840s, the original stores in North Omaha were early trading posts, including Manuel Lisa’s fort and Jean Cabànne’s post by Dodge Park. Both men stocked trading goods to swap with Native Americans and fur trappers who plied the Missouri River and its tributaries in South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. These places generally included an icehouse, powder magazine, houses for employees, fur storage, trade and dry goods storage, a blacksmith shop, and the trade store. These trade stores stocked goods that were generally bottled and canned, cured and collected from several sources.

When the towns of Florence, Saratoga and other pioneer-era towns were started in North Omaha, they were different from the trading posts. Instead, their owners brought in a lot of goods and sold them for cash to locals. Called “dry goods” stores, they sold canned foods, baking soda, flour and dry beans. Things like fresh meat, milk, eggs and vegetables only became available in these stores later because originally, they were made by business owners with their own storefronts, including butchers, dairies and ice companies. Individual families often kept chickens and cows of their own to produce their own eggs and milk, along with vegetable gardens. The dry goods stores also sold clothing, household items, and furniture. Hardware stores around the community handled wood, tools and other merchandise.

In this era, food was generally were fetched by a clerk or the store owner from shelves behind the counter while customers waited in front of the counter, calling out the things they wanted. Most foods and merchandise did not come in individually-sized packages. The clerk would take our a large bag of flour; a barrel of molasses; a bin of dried beans; or any other items and measure out the precise amount desired by the consumer. They’d then package them in paper or smaller sacks and sell the exact amount.

As stores in North Omaha evolved, dry goods stores became more specialized and focused exclusively on groceries. They brought butchers into their buildings, bought eggs, vegetables and tree fruits from area farmers, and handled checkouts and stocking quickly. Their refrigeration and freezing improved, and their longterm storage became more efficient.

The common denominator of all these stores was that they were handled by grocers and clerks – men and women who handled the goods before customers bought the groceries and meat and liquor and other goods. Sometimes they granted credit to their shoppers, which would be paid on a regular basis in accordance with local harvests or other factors.

Another common denominator for many of these stores is that they were owned and operated by Jewish people. Arriving in Omaha in the 1870s, the Jewish community quickly grew throughout the Near North Side neighborhood. However, they established business interests throughout North Omaha and grew in wealth and numbers as the community grew. Jewish business owners managed the vast majority of North Omaha grocery stores through the 1940s.

During the 1910s, everything began changing.

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Enter The Super Market

With the goal of selling as many goods to as many people as possible, supermarkets include groceries, meats, liquor and more. Originally, they operated either as “cash and carry stores” or as “credit and delivery” stores. Cash and carry stores, also called “basket stores,” had lightweight wooden shopping baskets. Customers would place them in front of cashiers, who emptied them, totaled the cost and made the baskets available for customers entering the store. Credit and delivery stores would take phone orders or lists from delivery boys, complete the order and send the groceries out with delivery boys.

Supermarkets were invented around 1915 by a new chain called Piggly Wiggly. Created by wealthy groceryman Clarence Saunders, Piggly Wiggly started with 1,500 square foot markets in Omaha in 1922 and expanded from there. By the 1930s, they had 2,500 stores nationwide.

Other early national brands in Omaha included the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, also called A&P. There were A&P stores at 6022 Military Avenue; 2215 Military Avenue; 24th and Ames; and the earliest one in Omaha, which was at North 16th and Wirt Streets. Later brands included Safeway, Kroger, Shavers and Skaggs.

Mom-and-pop grocery stores dominated much of the landscape in North Omaha still, but even they had to affiliate. Struggling against competition from the chains, stores like Sam Gendelman’s Fort Street Grocery at North 27th and Fort joined grocery coalitions designed to work together for lower costs on goods, advertising and more.

In 1914, there were 17 grocery stores near the North 24th and Lake intersection. These local grocers were threatened by the chains, and along with dozens of other stores, in 1922 they attended a special meeting for retail grocers held by Omaha Chamber of Commerce to discuss “encroachment by national chain store organizations upon fields held by retail grocers of Omaha.” Alas, the meeting didn’t quench the thirst of big corporations to saturate the city’s grocery industry, and it didn’t stop the independent stores from trying to stop them.

Local chains arose in Omaha to compete with the national corporations, as well as smaller regional chains. The Hinky Dinky grocery store chain was started by in Omaha in 1925. At their peak in the 1950s, they had at least 10 stores in North Omaha. The founders were Hungarian Jewish immigrants, both named Newman. Jules Newman opened the Benson Grocery to compete with Piggly Wiggly, and eventually had 19 stores in Omaha. Each store ranged from 1,500 square feet to 3,000 square feet, and included locations at North 24th and Fort, in Florence, on Military Avenue and on North 16th Street. Clarenence Saunders, founder of the Piggly Wiggly chain, brought a patent infringement claim Hinky Dinky in the 1930s, because of the layout of their stores and similarity of their name. It was eventually dropped because of its weak premise.

David Poole, a friend of NorthOmahaHistory.com, shared this story with me about the Hinky Dinky at North 30th and Newport Avenue in the Minne Lusa neighborhood:

“Halloween 1967. Grab bag giveaway. 500 kids lined up single file in that giant parking lot. Waiting to get our gran bag. It went off without a hitch. No fights, no pushing. All in costume. Thats the North Omaha I remember.”

Baker’s Supermarkets were founded in 1927 by Abe Baker, and in the history of North Omaha, included several locations. Baker was a Jewish grocer who originally served Omaha’s Jewish community and expanded from there. Another local chain was the O. P. Skaggs Nebraska Stores Company, which incorporated in 1927. Although their first store was elsewhere in the state, Skaggs was based in downtown Omaha and had several stores in North Omaha.

In 1936, Harry Steinberg was credited as the first supermarket innovator in Omaha. In 1916, Steinberg expanded his fruit and vegetable stand at 718 North 16th Street, and soon after bought a giant building on the southwest corner of North 16th and Burt Streets. In 1928, Steinberg brought in Rudy Anthony as a butcher on premise. In 1935, Omar Bakery joined and was sold in the store. The repeal of prohibition allowed Steinberg to sell liquor in the store. This made Steinberg’s store, the Omaha Potato Market, the largest grocery store in Omaha.

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Omaha Grocery Wars

Before the turn of 1900, small commercial districts popped up around North Omaha, allowing local residents to walk to all the needs they had. Each of these districts had at least one grocery, and some had several. Grocery stores sometimes had space for the store owner’s home above them or in back. As the 1920s came though, this became less common throughout Omaha. Stores were built as commercial anchors at main intersections where streetcars would stop, families would shop and wealth grew. Customers became fiercely loyal, and stores fought with price battles for their business.

Omaha loves its industry price wars, which were often colored by ugly media exchanges, court battles, union fights, and occasionally, actual physical violence. A 1930s grocery war in Omaha was largely fought over prices, but also addressed labor issues, supply chains and media. Grocery stores in Omaha were divided along several lines, including training, supervision, buying, advertising and shipping. Unionization became another issue.

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Changes in the Industry

Safeway bought the Piggly Wiggly chain stores in Omaha and replaced their brand in the 1930s. The Spic and Span chain and A&P came into Omaha, too. In the meantime, local grocers banded together to form powerful cooperatives, too. Albert Wohlner, who owned several stores in North O, co-founded the United Food Cooperative, and is credited with deeply influencing the grocery business throughout the city. Officially called United Cooperative Food Stores, Inc., the cooperative was made of small independent grocers, and served Omaha for a long time with their branding as well as store brands for customers. By the time their name was shortened to United A-G, the company was a household name and strongly competing with the large national chains in the Omaha market.

Other local and national supermarket chains came. One of them was a Polish immigrant who graduated from Omaha Central High in 1933. At age 20, Harold Cooperman opened his first grocery store at North 16th and Fort Streets in North Omaha. Called Harold’s, his wife Miriam ran the business when he served in the US Navy during WWII. After the war, he opened the first No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs. He developed Harold’s Supermarkets from 1950-1979, eventually opening eight stores around the region. By 2005, there were 16 stores in the chain, which was run by a corporation. Cooperman died in 2005 at age 87. Merriam died in 1999. Today, a corporation called SpartanNash is the owner of 25 Bag ‘n Save, No Frills, and Nuestra Familia Supermercado stores in the greater Omaha area. In 2015, the Omaha locations became Family Fare Supermarkets, and today there are no No Frills left in the city. The Wohlner Brothers and others had stores throughout the city, too.

Albertsons entered Omaha in 1981 with a 60,000 square foot combination food and drug store, and grew from there. Their parent company sold 11 stores in the city in 2004, and now the brand is gone from the city. Today, the Baker’s chain is owned by Kroger’s, one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S. There are currently two North Omaha locations in Florence and Benson.

One of the most dramatic closures in Omaha’s grocery history affected North Omaha adversely when it happened in 1982. That year, five stores north of Dodge and east of North 72nd were closed. Only one re-opened as Phil’s Foodway.

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Recent Supermarket Developments

National chains owned by corporate conglomerates now dominate Omaha’s grocery store skyline. Its much more common for their brands to fill the newspaper inserts and streetscape than any local stores. However, North O is mostly different.

Perhaps the last large local grocer in Omaha, Phil Morrison, is located primarily in North Omaha. Phil Morrison started his grocery business in 1979. At the peak of it’s name, Phil’s advertised four stores in its ad, including the Bedford Market and stores at North 42nd and Redman, North 30th and Ames and North 24th and Fort. Today, in addition to his longstanding store at N. 30th and Ames Avenue, Morrison’s company called Cubby’s owns convenience/grocery stores, and claims to provide jobs for hundreds of people in North Omaha. The company intentionally does business in lesser-served areas because, as Phil states, “…they are good for the corporation and the corporation is good for the communities.”

In 1987, the Baker’s Supermarket chain renovated a shopping complex originally built in 1965 at North 50th and Ames Avenue, and operated the location for more than 15 years. In 2004, Baker’s closed the store there and at North 72nd and Blondo. Walmart reopened the Ames Avenue location soon after. The Long School Marketplace on North 24th and Hamilton Streets was built in 2005, and today includes a Family Dollar store. The Midtown Plaza, located at Saddle Creek Road and California Street, is home to the No Frills Supermarket and several other stores.

Built in 1963, the former Safeway Store at North 24th and Lake Streets was supposed to be a beacon of business in the neighborhood. After demolishing more than two dozen buildings on the block, the Safeway company built a new store. In 1967, it was targeted by protesters during rioting, and again in 1968. The store closed permanently that year, and the chain left Omaha in the early 1980s. After having several businesses located in it, in 1983 it reopened as the Omaha Small Business Network home that’s today called the Business Technology Center.

The Weber Place is located on the southwest corner of North 30th and Forest Lawn Drive. There is a Dollar Tree, Family Fare Supermarket and a Baker’s next door, along with several other businesses.

There are interesting things happening in some North Omaha grocery stores today. For instance, the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, supported by the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, commissioned a 15-foot x 34-foot mural on the east wall of North Omaha’s J-N-J grocery at 3247 North 42nd Street. The mural was publicly unveiled in 2013. As the artist Gabrielle Gaines-Liwaru said,

“I didn’t come to J-N-J Grocery just to paint. I came to listen to the voices of the neighborhood.”

Another local grocery store owner is Ron Meredith, who operates the Chubbs Supermarket. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Ron Meredith bought the former Hinky Dinky store at 16th and Locust Streets in 1985, and it had been Chubb Foods for 30 years. The article said Meredith put more than $400,000 into remodeling his store around 2010. Meredith says only the best things about his business and his location, and perhaps sums up what is actually happening in North O’s grocery stores today: “The bigger chains are starting to learn what we have known for 30 years now,” he said. “That is, that North Omaha is a great place to do business.”

It hasn’t all been roses among North Omaha’s grocery stores lately though. In 2007, Bob’s Food Mart was burned to the ground because it’s owners were black. Ethiopian immigrant Kassahun Goshime and his sister Tsedey reopened the store after several years of it being closed. Regularly harassed, the store was graffitted regularly. In February 2007, Goshime was abductred, bound with duct tape, locked in the basement and his store was set on fire. He escaped, but the store was completely destroyed.

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White Flight and Food Deserts

Starting with the 1919 lynching of Will Brown and the subsequent white supremacy riots that struck at North Omaha’s Black community, white flight grabbed hold of the area north of Dodge Street. Starting with the wealthiest home owners in the Near North Side neighborhood, white people stopped living in integrated neighborhoods and near African Americans who lived next door, on the next block, or within several blocks. Moving to newly established western suburbs at North 52nd and beyond, these white families took their wealth, resources and access and fled.

Despite peaking in the 1960s, this pattern continues today. However, when the largest masses of white people moved out of North Omaha, they took with them the wealth of grocery stores they’d owned and/or leased to African American businessmen. Faced with external pressures from national trends in the grocery industry, mom-and-pop shops were shuttered in the 1950s and 60s, and large grocery stores took their place. Those families moved away too, leaving much of North Omaha to its own devices. Towards the 1950s and 60s, these storeowners mostly didn’t buy locally grown vegetables or fruits; didn’t buy locally raised poultry or dairy; and didn’t hire Blacks to work in their stores. Some maintained their businesses within North O, actively draining the community of its money while returning nothing at all.

This resulted in the establishment of a food desert that’s afflicted North Omaha for at least 40 years. Food deserts are places that don’t have access to fresh food, healthy food and nutritious food. Finding fresh, healthy produce that’s affordable can be a challenge.

As the directory below explains, I estimate there have been as many as 1,000 grocery stores north of Dodge Street and east of North 72nd throughout the history of North Omaha. Despite all those stores, all the wealth spent and accumulated by owners, and all the loyalty of customers in the past, there is a food desert in the community today.

In the 2010s, former Omaha state Sen. Brenda Council introduced a bill that would have established a state financing program to help stores install coolers for fresh food. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the measure stalled in committee when the grocery industry lobbyists said giving money to certain stores could give them an unfair advantage over others. The JND Store is at North 24th and Redick Avenue. In 2014, owner David Adams worked with the University of Nebraska Extension to add more traditional grocery offerings and decrease local residents’ reliance on convenience commodities, as well as candy, snacks and soda. In 2011, the J-N-J store at North 42nd and Bedford was involved in a separate program promoting healthy food, too. Supported by partners with the Douglas County Health Department, the store was re-signed, customers were offered nutritious food lessons, and other steps were taken.

The concentration of fast food in North Omaha hasn’t changed yet though, with research showing it still has the highest ration of restaurants to population in the city. West Omaha has the lowest amount. The major supermarkets in North Omaha are Family Fare, Aldi and the Walmart Neighborhood Market. There are a total of 18 grocery stores in the community. There are only two health food stores north of Dodge and west of North 72nd, and both of those are located in Benson. The same research shows that there are twice as many grocery stores in west Omaha as there are in North Omaha, and that healthy, nutritious food options are much more prevalent there.

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North Omaha Historic Grocery Store Directory

Following is a list of 400 grocery stores that have existed in North Omaha since the 1870s. This is NOT a complete list; there could easily be 1,000 stores included. Instead, I have included big chain locations, multiple stores at the same locations, and stores in places I’m interested in or I thought should be included. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED in a place I haven’t included here, please leave a comment below and I may include it. If you have more information about any of these stores or others, please share in the comments section below or contact me.

1. A.B. Food Stop, 702 N. 27th Ave. (Dates unknown)
2. A. P. Market, 2255 N. 19th St. (circa 1928)
3. A. Weinstein Market, 213 N. 26th St. (circa 1945)
4. Abramson Market, 2422 Sprague St. (circa 1928)
5. Adams Grocery, 1313 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
6. Advo Store, N. 18th and California (circa 1915-unknown)
7. Albertson Grocery, N. 28th and Binney St. (circa 1951)
8. Albertsons, 820 N. Saddle Creek Rd. (1961-2004)
9. Aldi, 4801 N. 30th St. (present)
10. American Food Supply, 4617 N. 24th St. (circa 1928) 
11. Ames Avenue Food Shop, 3194 Ames Ave. (circa 1951)
12. Andrew Lawslo, 2200 E. Locust St. (circa 1945)
13. Armand Petersen, 2908 N. 16th St. (circa 1916)
14. Atlantic and Pacific (A&P) Grocery Store, 2922 N. 16th St. (circa 1919)
15. A&P Supermarket, 4515 N 24th St. (1928-1942)
16. A&P Supermarket, 2215 Military Avenue (circa 1919)
17. A&P Supermarket, 6022 Military Avenue (circa 1919)
18. Al’s Supermarket, N. 25th and Bristol St. (Dates unknown)
19. Alhambra Groceries, 1814 N. 24th St. (1911-1935)
20. Alperson Grocery, 2723 Binney St. (Dates unknown)
21. Ames Avenue Food Shop, 3194 Ames Ave. (circa 1950-unknown)
22. Andy Bly Market, 2908 Ames Ave. (Dates unknown)
23. Aronson Market, 2430 N. 30th St. (Dates unknown)
24. Art’s Grocery Market, N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
25. B&R Food Center, 2821 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
26. Babolr Groceries, 2211 Cuming St. (circa 1916)
27. Baines and Donoghue Meat Market, 933 N 24th St. (1890-unknown)
28. Baker’s, 2402 Fort St. (1966-1981)
29. Baker’s, N. 50th and Ames Ave. (1987-2004)
30. Baker’s, 4405 N 72nd St. (unknown-present)
31. Baker’s, 5622 Ames Avenue (1961-1969)
32. Barker Groceries, 1013 N. 24th St. (1885-unknown)
33. Barth Meat Market, 1010 N. 24th St. (1890-unknown)
34. Basket Store, 2936 North 24th St. (1920-1928)
35. Basket Store, 2518 N. 24th St. (1916-unknown)
36. Batt’s Grocery Store, 2519 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
37. Battiato’s Super Market, 5622 Ames Avenue (1960-1961)
38. Beacon Market,  4622 North 30th St. (1933-unknown)
39. Beacon Market, N. 16th and Maple (circa 1933)
40. Bedford Market, 3247 N. 42nd St. (Dates unknown)
41. Bee Hive Grocery Store, 2421 N. 24th St. (1902-1998)
42. Beehive Grocery Store, 812 N. 16th St. (c1904-1999)
43. Belle’s Grocery, 2531 Lake St. (circa 1942)
44. Bell Market, 613 N. 21st St. (Dates unknown)
45. Belzer’s Market, 1624 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
46. Bemis Park Grocery, 3220 Cuming St. (circa 1928)
47. Ben and Sarah Perelman’s store, N. 30th and Stone Ave. (Dates unknown)
48. Benson Crest Super Market, 4338 N. 61st St. (Dates unknown)
49. Benson Grocery, 6673 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
50. Bernards Market, 2910 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
51. Bernstein Market, N. 24th and Lake St. (1912-circa 1924)
52. Beuller Brothers, N. 24th and Lake St. (circa 1933)
53. Buehler Brothers, 212 N. 16th St. (circa 1933)
54. Buehler Brothers, N. 24th and Cuming St. (circa 1933)
55. Bickell’s Meat Market, N. 24th and Larimore Ave. (Dates unknown)
56. Binger Brothers Grocery, 2504 N. 32d Ave. (circa 1914)
57. Bob’s Food Mart, 5301 N. 16th St. (circa 1951)
58. Bob Gibson Grocery, 4036 Hamilton St. (Dates unknown)
59. Bonita Market, 6910 Maple St. (Dates unknown)
60. Bonny Dune, N. 24th and Himebaugh St. (Dates unknown)
61. Boston Market, 512 N. 16th St. (circa 1942)
62. Bristol Market, 3628 Bristol St. (Dates unknown)
63. Brookstein and Son Groceries, 2901 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
64. Buffett and Son, 5101 Underwood Ave. (Dates unknown)
65. Burstein and Arbtman Groceries, 3724 N. 16th St. (circa 1915-unknown)
66. New Boulevard Grocery, 4123 Florence Blvd. (1923-circa 1950)
67. Burke and Barry Market, 2908 Ames Ave. (circa 1951)
68. Buy Rite Grocery, 1902 Ohio St. (circa 1951)
69. Byrne Cash Grocery, 501 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
70. C. A. Burns and Son Market, 4002 Ames Ave. (Dates unknown)
71. C. Troia Market, 1702 Clark St. (circa 1945)
72. C. N. Wolfe and Son Market, 6623 Maple St. (circa 1945)
73. C. V. Warfield Market, 2209 Military Ave. (circa 1915-unknown)
74. California Super Market, 4970 Military Ave. (Dates unknown)
75. California Grocery, 3225 California St. (Dates unknown)
76. Carey’s Neighborhood Grocery, 2120 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
77. Cary Grocery, 2302 N. 27th St. (Dates unknown)
78. Carlson Meat Market, 1339 N. 24th St. (1890-unknown)
79. Cashway Store, 1848 N. 20th St. (circa 1928)
80. Central Park Grocery, 4104 Grand Ave. (circa 1928)
81. Charles Street Market, 1501 N. 20th St. (Dates unknown)
82. Charlie’s, N. 24th and Laurel St. (Dates unknown)
83. Chubb’s Supermarket, 2905 N. 16th St.  (Unknown-present)
84. Clark Street Market, 1824 Clark St. (circa 1951)
85. Cliff’s, N. 30th and Laurel St. (Dates unknown)
86. Cliff’s Corner Market, 5825 N. 30th St. (Dates unknown)
87. Clifton Hill Grocery, 2221 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
88. Colquitt Market, 2702 Lake St. (circa 1942)
89. Consumers G&M Market, 3506 N. 16th St. (circa 1928)
90. Copeland Grocery, 3512 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
91. Corbin Grocery, 2811 Ames Ave. (Dates unknown)
92. Corbin Grocery, 2701 Maple St. (circa 1951)
93. Corbino’s Grocery, 2801 Sprague St. (circa 1951)
94. Country Club Grocery, 4981 Hamilton St. (circa 1951)
95. Cox Groceries, 3906 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
96. Craig Grocery, 2811 Ames Ave. (Dates unknown)
97. Crounse Market, 1314 N. 24th St. (circa 1951)
98. Cuming Grocery, 2820 Cuming St. (Dates unknown)
99. Daddy’s Neighborhood Fresh Market, 4811 NW Radial Hwy. (present)
100. Dahlbeck Grocery, 3248 N. 40th St. (Dates unknown)
101. Dave’s Food Market, 1404 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
102. Davis Market, 2602 Seward St. (Dates unknown)
103. Dealt Groceries, 2025 N. 16th St. (circa 1916)
104. Dohse and Sons, 3316 Lake St. (Dates unknown)
105. Don’s Montclair Market, 3010 Cuming St. (1945-1963)
106. Dworak Grocery, 3123 N. 24th St. (circa 1951)
107. Elrod Grocery, 4501 N. 14th St. (circa 1951)
108. Drive-In Market, 3520 N. 30th St. (Dates unknown)
109. E and P Store, 2409 Cuming St. (Dates unknown)
110. Jacobberger Groceries, 5901 N. 30th St. (1918-1924)
111. E. R. Sorenson Grocery (inc. Checkboard Store and Red & White Store) 5901 N. 30th St. (1924-1954)
112. Eddie’s Market, 1502 N. 18th St. (Dates unknown)
113. Eddie Ruback’s Market, N. 24th and Seward St. (Dates unknown)
114. Epstein Market, 3421 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
115. Epstein Grocery, 2701 Maple St. (circa 1942) 
116. Evans Street Market, 3522 N. 16th St. (circa 1951)
117. F. Comisar, 801 N. 20th St. (Dates unknown)
118. Fair Deal Grocery, 2118 N. 24th St. (2017-present)
119. Family Dollar, 1500 N. 24th St. (2015-present)
120. Family Dollar, 2601 N. 16th St. (2015-present)
121. Family Dollar, 1516 NW Radial Hwy. (2015-present)
122. Family Dollar, 2930 Sprague St. (2015-present)
123. Family Dollar, 6618 N. 30th St. (2015-present)
124. Family Fare, 7402 N. 30Th St. (2017-present)
125. Family Fare, 820 N. Saddle Creek Rd. (2017-present)
126. Federal Market, 1414 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
127. Feldman’s Market, 5827 North 24th St. (Dates unknown)
128. Fellman Grocery, 1812 Military Ave. (Dates unknown)
129. Festival Foods, (Dates unknown)
130. Finklestein Groceries, N. 26th and Blondo St. (circa 1916)
131. Flodman Brothers Market, N. 40th and Cuming St. (circa 1916)
132. Florence Cash Market, 8516 N. 30th St. (circa 1951)
133. Florence Market, 9624 N. 30th St. (circa 1951)
134. Foley Grocery, 3103 N. 16th St. (circa 1916)
135. Fontenelle Grocery, 1501 N. 20th St. (circa 1942)
136. Food 4 Less, (Dates unknown)
137. Fort Grocery, 2702 Fort St. (circa 1920)
138. Fort Street Market, 2771 Fort St. (1937-1953)
139. Fortieth Street Market, 1324 N. 40th St. (Dates unknown)
140. Frank’s Thriftway, 5920 Military Ave. (Dates unknown)
141. Freeman’s Grocery, 2719 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
142. Friedlander Market, 2314 N. 24th St. (1926-circa 1950)
143. Ganop Economy Grocery, 2303 N. 27th St. (circa 1916)
144. Garden Market, 3419 Florence Blvd. (1948-1969)
145. Garrato and Catania Groceries, 502 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
146. Gasson Grocery, 3823 N. 20th St. (circa 1951)
147. Gate City Foods, 2019 N. 24th St. (1968-unknown)
148. Gentlemen’s Grocery, 501 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
149. George A. Nelson Market, 3026 Hamilton Ave. (circa 1945)
150. George A. Petty’s Market, 6110 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
151. George I. Ross, 16th and Sprague (circa 1916)
152. George I. Ross, 4420 N. 24th St. (circa 1916)
153. Gibson Grocery, 6345 Military Ave. (Dates unknown)
154. Giles Brothers Market, 6101 Military Ave. (circa 1916)
155. Given’s Grocery, 2101 E. Locust St. (Dates unknown)
156. Glantz Grocery, 5122 N. 30th St. (circa 1951)
157. Grace Grocery, 1314 N. 27th St. (circa 1951)
158. Grace Street Market, 2002 N. 20th St. (Dates unknown)
159. Grand Avenue Super Market, 4135 Grand Ave. (Dates unknown)
160. Greenbaum Grocery, 408 N. 16th St. (circa 1942)
161. Gwen’s Grocery, 2101 East Locust St. (circa 1951)
162. H. and K. Food Shop, 1919 N. 66th St. (Uknown dates)
163. H. and M. Market, 4102 Hamilton St. (circa 1915)
164. H. J. Knudsen Market, 4567 Cuming St. (circa 1945)
165. H. Levine Market, 6208 Maple St. (circa 1945)
166. Hadley Grocery, 4907 N. 42nd St. (circa 1951)
167. Handy Dandy, 202 N. 25th St. (Dates unknown)
168. Handy Dandy Market, 2018 California St. (Dates unknown)
169. Hans Dansky Grocery, 1845 N. 20th St. (circa 1915-unknown)
170. Harold’s Supermarket, N. 16th and Locust St. (Dates unknown)
171. Harold’s Market, 2107 E. Locust Ave. (1938-unknown)
172. Harold’s Market, 2704 Florence Blvd. (Dates unknown)
173. Hawkins & Latham Market, N. 32nd and Burt St. (circa 1916)
174. Heath and Company Grocery Store, 2936 N. 24th St. (1890-1905)
175. Heath Brothers, 3001 N. 24th St. (circa 1928)
176. Heckman Market, 4724 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
177. Hentshke Grocery, 3222 N. 24th St. (circa 1951)
178. Herman’s Grocery Store, 1913 Military Ave. (Dates unknown)
179. Herman Friedlander Grocery Store, 2314 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
180. Hill Top Grocery, 1517 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
181. Hinky Dinky, 2414 Ames Ave. (circa 1928)
182. Hinky Dinky No 25, 4130 Grand Ave. (circa 1945)
183. Hinky Dinky, 2402 Fort St. (1954-1966)
184. Hinky Dinky, 4504 Bedford Ave. (circa 1928)
185. Hinky Dinky No 3, 4803 Military Ave (circa 1945)
186. Hinky Dinky, 2201 Military Ave. (circa 1951)
187. Hinky Dinky No 39, 2905 N. 16th St. (circa 1955)
188. Hinky Dinky No 12, 401 N. 18th St. (circa 1945)
189. Hinky Dinky No 4, 3902 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
190. Hinky Dinky, 4515 N. 24th St. (1942-circa 1955)
191. Hinky Dinky No 23, 6724 N. 30th St. (circa 1916)
192. Hinky Dinky No 36, 4601 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
193. Hinky Dinky, 6618 N. 30th St. (circa 1951)
194. Hinky Dinky No 18, 534 N. 33rd St. (circa 1945)
195. Hobbs & Shafer Groceries, N. 24th and Wirt St. (circa 1914)
196. Houston Grocery, 2114 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
197. Grocery store, 4515 N 24th St. (1900-1928)
198. Huba Meat Market, 2506 N. 24th St. (1910-unknown)
199. J. and H. Food Market, 1817 N. 33rd St. (circa 1945)
200. J. M. Food Market, 4505 Bedford Ave. (circa 1945)
201. JND Grocery, 6341 N. 24th St. (present)
202. J-N-J Grocery, 3247 N. 42nd St. (Unknown-present)
203. Jane’s Health Market, 6103 Maple St. (present)
204. Jay Cee Market No. 2, 2821 N. 16th St. (circa 1915)
205. Jen’s Grocery, N. 8th and Fort St. (circa 1951)
206. Jensen’s Market, 2517 Sprauge St. (1951-1968)
207. Jepsen Brothers, 2502 Cuming St. (circa 1916)
208. Joe’s Market, 2422 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
209. John Peterson Market, N. 40th and Cuming St. (circa 1915-unknown)
210. John R. Knudsen Market, 4567 1/2 Cuming St. (circa 1945)
211. Johnson Market, 7112 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
212. Johnson Groceries, 2404 Cuming St. (circa 1914)
213. Kampee Grocery, 7009 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
214. Katz Grocery, 1823 Maple St. (circa 1945)
215. Kellogg’s Garden Super Market, 3419 Florence Blvd (1969-1976)
216. Kenwood Grocery, 2702 Fort St. (circa 1945)
217. King Kash Grocery, 2821 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
218. Kirk Grocery, 3708 Fort St. (circa 1914)
219. Kulakofsky Market, N. 24th and Ames Ave. (circa 1914)
220. Kuppig Market, 4702 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
221. L. M. Nesselson Market, 2814 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
222. Laurel Avenue G&M, 5825 N. 24th St. (circa 1928)
223. Laggie’s Market, 4470 Bedford Ave. (circa 1945)
224. Lagman Market, 1623 N. 33rd St. (circa 1945)
225. Laurel Avenue Grocery, 5825 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
226. Lawrence Peterson Grocery, 3602 Ames Ave. (circa 1945)
227. Lawso Market, 2200 East Locust St. (circa 1951)
228. Leo’s Food Market, 6059 Military Ave. (circa 1951)
229. Leo Weitz Market, 518 N. 40th St. (circa 1945)
230. Lewis Market, N. 27th and Binney St. (circa 1942)
231. Levensky Market, 2902 Cuming St. (Dates unknown)
232. Lieben Grocery, 2235 N. 19th St. (circa 1945)
233. Lothrop Market, 3302 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
234. Loui’s Market, 1524 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
235. Louis Jankowski Grocery, 1420-22 Military Ave. (circa 1915-unknown)
236. Louis Market, 5702 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
237. Louis Market, 5718 N.W. Radial Hwy. (Dates unknown)
238. Louis Market, 1524 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
239. Lynam & Brennfin Market, 2208 N. 16th St. (circa 1914)
240. McClure’s Dry Goods, 8601 N. 30th St. (circa 1890-circa 1910)
241. McCoy Grocery Company, 2221 Military Avenue (circa 1916)
242. M. Resnick Market, 3536 Hamilton St. (circa 1945)
243. Madsen Grocery, 4001 Ames Ave. (circa 1951)
244. Maple Street Grocery, 2901 N. 30th St. (circa 1942)
245. Marks Brothers Grocery, 2123 Military Ave. (circa 1914)
246. Marsh Market, 1622 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
247. Martin’s Market, 3612 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
248. Marten Grocery, 5201 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
249. Mattioli Grocery, 3935 N. 21st St. (circa 1951)
250. Mencke Brothers Grocery, 5830 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
251. Max Chosen Market, 401 N. 30th St. (Dates unknown)
252. Meyerson Market, 4104 Grand Ave. (circa 1928)
253. Meyerson Market, 2812 N. 24th St. (circa 1928)
254. Miller Park Grocery, 6339 N. 24th St. (Dates unknown)
255. Miller’s Super Market, 2915 N. 16th St. (circa 1938)
256. Miller’s Super Market, N. 16th and Locust St. (circa 1938)
257. Mike’s Market, 2517 Sprague St. (1968-1972)
258. Minne Lusa Cash Grocery, 7523 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
259. Moeller Grocery, 1401 N. 33rd St. (circa 1945)
260. Moeller Brothers, 1702 Clark St. (circa 1928)
261. Moline Food Market, 6111 Maple St. (circa 1945)
262. Montgomery Grocery, 2531 Lake St. (circa 1942)
263. Morrison Grocery, 2704 Cuming St. (circa 1945)
264. Morningside Grocery, 6103 Blondo St. (circa 1945)
265. Murphy Grocery, 2902 Hamilton St. (circa 1915-unknown)
266. Nachman’s Food Store, 1441 N. 19th St. (circa 1945)
267. Nate Ferer Market, 3511 N. 30th St. (Dates unknown)
268. Nesselson’s Grocery, 2514 N. 24th St. (1910-unknown)
269. Nicholas Street Market, 1108 N. 17th St. (circa 1945)
270. Nielsen Grocery, 7524 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
271. No Frills Supermarket, N. 16th and Locust St. (Dates unknown)
272. Novak’s Market, 1902 E. Locust St. (circa 1945)
273. Nussrallah Grocery, 2419 N. 18th St. (circa 1945)
274. O. D. Foodland, 1524 N. Saddle Creek Rd. (Dates unknown)
275. O. D. Kruse Market, 6533 Blondo St. (circa 1945)
276. O. E. Owen Grocery, 5301 N. 24th St. (1913-1921)
277. O. P. Skaggs, N. 42nd and Grand St. (Dates unknown)
278. O. P. Skaggs, 5419 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
279. O. P. Skaggs, 1902 California St. (circa 1936)
280. O. P. Skaggs, 6209 Maple St. (circa 1945)
281. O. P. Skaggs, 5972 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
282. O. P. Skaggs, 8516 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
283. O. P. Skaggs, N. 16th and Locust St. (circa 1938)
284. O. P. Skaggs, 3924 N. 16th St. (circa 1928)
285. O. P. Skaggs, 5828 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
286. O. P. Skaggs, 2908 Ames Ave. (circa 1933)
287. O. W. Smith Grocery, 2002 Lake St. (Dates unknown)
288. Ohio Fish Market, 2604 N. 16th St. (1958-1990)
289. Olson Meat Market, 6115 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
290. Omaha Potato Market, 724 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
291. One Horse Store, 2851 Grant St. (Dates unknown)
292. Oscar’s Food Market, 8119 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
293. Owl Grocery, 5301 N. 24th St. (1935-circa 1950)
294. Pankratz & Son Groceries, 3908 N. 24th St. (circa 1915-unknown)
295. Paol’s Grocery, 8823 N. 30th St. (circa 1951)
296. Parker Street Market, 1902 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
297. Paul Street Market, 1401 N. 19th St. (circa 1945)
298. Pederson Grocery, 4969 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
299. Petersen Market, N. 36th and Ames Ave. (circa 1914)
300. Peterson Market, 2908 N. 16th St. (circa 1928)
301. Phil’s Market, 402 N. 21st St. (circa 1945)
302. Phil’s Foodway, 2404 Fort St. (1983-1989)
303. Phil’s Foodway, N. 42nd and Redman Ave. (circa 1981-unknown)
304. Phil’s Foodway, 3030 Ames Ave. (1982-unknown)
305. Piggly Wiggly, 2819 N. 16th St.  (circa 1928)
306. Piggly Wiggly, 5301 N. 24th St. (1922-1935)
307. Piggly Wiggly, 6604 N. 30th St. (1924-1938)
308. Piggly Wiggly, 2012 Ames Ave. (circa 1928)
309. Piggly Wiggly, 8507 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
310. Piggly Wiggly, 428 N. 33rd St. (circa 1928)
311. Piggly Wiggly, 4404 Hamilton St. (circa 1928)
312. Piggly Wiggly, 2211 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
313. Piggly Wiggly, 4970 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
314. Piggly Wiggly, 6211 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
315. Piggly Wiggly, 2211 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
316. Plotkin Brothers, 420 N. 20th St. (circa 1928)
317. Plotkin Brothers, 522 N. 24th St. (circa 1928)
318. Plotkin Brothers, 2109 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
319. Plotkin Brothers No 3, 2025 N. 16th St. (circa 1928)
320. Pradell’s, 5501 N. 35th St. (1919 to 1964)
321. Prospect Hill Grocery, 1501 N. 33rd St. (circa 1945)
322. Ratzky’s Cash Market, 1314 N. 27th St. (circa 1942)
323. Read Street Market, 2032 Read St. (1951-1963)
324. Real Value Grocery, 2203 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
325. Red and White Grocery, 4871 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
326. Red and White Store, 2603 N. 45th St. (circa 1945)
327. Resnick’s Market, 3536 Hamilton St. (circa 1915-unknown)
328. Red, White and Blue Market, East 8th and Fort St. (circa 1970-1982)
329. Renner’s Grocery, 3102 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
330. Reiler’s Grocery, 2509 N. 24th St. (circa 1913)
331. Robert Sanderhof Market, 4981 Hamilton Ave. (circa 1945)
332. Robinson Grocery, N. 16th and Yates (circa 1915-unknown)
333. Roduziner Grocery, 2404 Fort St. (1913-1918)
334. Roh’s Super Market, 2421 Ames Ave. (circa 1951)
335. Rose Hill Cash Grocery, 5602 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
336. Rosen Food Center, 4024 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
337. Rosen’s Grocery, 2624 N. 30th St. (circa 1942)
338. Roy Pederson, 3928 Maple St. (circa 1945)
339. Rudolph Market, 2327-29 N. 16th St. (circa 1914)
340. Rundell Market, 2602 Seward St. (circa 1942)
341. Safeway, 2421 Ames Ave. (1916-1950)
342. Safeway, 4601 N. 30th St. (1915-1927)
343. Safeway No 601, 4503 N. 30th St. (1927-unknown)
344. Safeway, 7419 N. 30th St. (circa 1951)
345. Safeway, 3030 Ames Ave. (Unknown-1981)
346. Safeway, N. 16th and Locust St. (1916- 1945)
347. Safeway, N. 24th and Lake St. (1965-1969)
348. Safeway, 6604 N. 30th St. (1938-unknown)
349. Safeway No 603, 5908 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
350. Safeway No 611, 2465 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
351. Safeway No 604, 1920 Cuming St. (circa 1945)
352. Safeway No 608, 2118 Miltary Ave. (circa 1945)
353. Safeway No 612, 3617 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
354. Safeway No 613, 1411 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
355. Safeway, 3603 North 24th Street (1936-1951)
356. Safeway, 2115 Military Ave. (circa 1915)
357. Safeway, 2611 Florence Blvd. (circa 1915)
358. Safeway, 5755 Redick Ave. (circa 1982)
359. Safeway, 1516 N. 47th St. (circa 1982)
360. Safeway, 5901 NW Radial Hwy. (circa 1982)
361. Sahler Street Super Market, 4122 N. 20th St. (circa 1945)
362. Saltzman’s Grocery, 2404 Cuming St. (circa 1945)
363. Sam Fried Kosher Meat Market, 1513 N. 24 St. (circa 1918-unknown)
364. Sam’s Market, 2624 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
365. Sanitary Store, 1425 N. 24th St. (1917-unknown)
366. Saratoga Grocery, 2402 Fort St. (1918-1954)
367. Sav-Mor Super Market, 6604 N. 30th St. (1950-unknown)
368. Schmid and Sons Meat Market, 2128 N. 16th St. (1906-1975)
369. Sell-Rite Market, 2504 Lake St. (circa 1945)
370. Shapiro Market, N. 30th and Pinkney St. (circa 1942)
371. Shrago’s Ideal Grocery, 1802 N. 20th St. (circa 1951)
372. Shaver’s Food Mart, 4515 N. 24th St. (circa 1955-circa 1969)
373. Shaver’s Food Mart, 7266 N. 30th St. (circa 1953)
374. Shepheard’s Grocery, 2416 Erskine St. (circa 1942)  [sic]
375. Sherman’s Big Little Store, 1550 N. 20th St. (Dates unknown)
376. Sherman’s Market, 801 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
377. Sherman Avenue Meats and Grocery, N. 16th St. (1916)
378. Shirley and Florence Market, 2603 Seward St. (circa 1945)
379. Shukert Grocery, 1619 N. 24th St. (circa 1942)
380. Sid’s Grocery, 6119 Blondo St. (circa 1945)
381. Sid Feldman Store, 2019 N. 24th St. (Unknown-1968)
382. Smogye’s Groceries, 318 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
383. Sol Martin Grocery, 1528 N. Saddle Creek (Dates unknown)
384. Sorenson Brothers Market, 5901 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
385. Spaulding Grocery, 2869 Spaulding Ave. (circa 1915-unknown)
386. Spic and Span, 2823 N. 16th St. (circa 1928)
387. Spic and Span, 4997 N. 42nd St. (circa 1928)
388. Spic and Span, 4002 Hamilton St. (circa 1928)
389. Spic and Span, N. 48th and Military Ave. (circa 1928)
390. Spic and Span, 6111 Military Ave. (circa 1928)
391. Stop and Shop, 4109 N. 16th St. (circa 1951)
392. Super Duper Market, 8421 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
393. Swanback Grocery, 3601 N. 52nd St. (circa 1945)
394. The Forgot Store, 11909 Calhoun Rd. (1906-present) Not a grocery store anymore!
395. Theo. Thorin Market, 4010 Hamilton St. (circa 1916)
396. Thorson’s Grocery, 2814 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
397. Thornton and Lots Store, 4603 Cuming St. (circa 1945)
398. Thrifty Market, 3502 N. 30th St. (circa 1945)
399. Tietsort Grocery, 3650 N. 40th St. (circa 1945)
400. Tilley Brothers Market, 3650 Ames Ave. (circa 1945)
401. Titus Avenue Grocery, 6724 N. 30th St. (circa 1928)
402. Tom Johnson’s Grocery, 2002 Lake St. (Dates unknown)
403. Tuchman Brothers, 2504 N. 24th St. (circa 1900-circa 1955)
404. Tuchman Brothers, N. 24th and Parker St. (circa 1933)
405. Tuchman Brothers, 6056 Military Ave. (circa 1933)
406. Tuchman Brothers, 2025 N. 16th St. (circa 1933)
407. Uncle Sam’s Market, 1404 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
408. W. L. Ovitz Market, N. 29th and Spaulding St. (circa 1915-unknown)
409. Wagen Grocery, 2010 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)
410. Walmart Superstore, 5018 Ames Ave. (2013-present)
411. Walmart Neighborhood Market, 360 N. Saddlecreek Rd.
412. Walnut Hill Grocery and Meat, N. 33rd and Parker St. (circa 1916)
413. West Benson Market, 6767 Maple St. (circa 1945)
414. West Blondo Market, 7076 Blondo St. (circa 1945)
415. West Lake Grocery, 4238 Lake St. (circa 1928)
416. White’s Market, 1428 Military Ave. (circa 1945)
417. White’s Market, 1425 N. 16th St. (circa 1945)
418. White’s Market, 1902 East Locust, (circa 1951)
419. Wine Grocery, 602 N. 18th St. (circa 1945)
420. Witkin’s Grocery, 2202 N. 26th St. (circa 1945)
421. Wohlner Grocery, 524 N. 16th St. (Dates unknown)
422. Wohlner Grocery, N. 19th and Commercial Ave. (Dates unknown)
423. Wohlner Grocery, 3823 N. 24th St. (circa 1928)
424. Wolfson Grocery, 1707 N. 24th St. (circa 1951)
425. Wulff & Sowards Market, Benson (circa 1915-unknown)
426. Yale Place G&M, 2454 N. 33rd St. (circa 1928)
427. Young Market, 5218 N. 24th St. (circa 1928)
428. Zusman Market, 1801 N. 24th St. (circa 1945)

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You Might Like…

• A History of Hospitals in North Omaha
• A History of Theatres and Movie Theaters in North Omaha
• A History of Streets in North Omaha
• A History of the Omaha Market House

Elsewhere Online

• “Trading Posts,” Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
• “Hinky Dinky History” Hinky Dinky News
• “No Frills owner Cooperman dies at 87” by Phil Rooney on September 21, 2005 for The Daily Nonpareil.
• “Obituary Record: Harold Cooperman,” Washington County Genealogical Society
• “Former Louis Market, Louis Grill and Bar razed, making way for Bucky’s store” by Christopher Burbach for the Omaha World-Herald on February 12, 2015
• “Phil’s Foodway,” Creighton University
• “Brief history,” Nebraska Grocery Industry Association (NGIA)
• “Mural at J-N-J,” Malcolm X Memorial Foundation
• “Rural or urban, food deserts are a tough fix,” Harvest Public Media
• “Fund Wants to Show North Omaha Entrepreneurs ‘Nebraska Nice’,” by Deonna Anderson on August 23, 2017 from Next Cities
• “Neighborhood stores get healthy makeover,” by Angel Martin for KVNO News on September 27th, 2011
• “Memories of the Jewish Midwest: Mom and Pop Grocery Stores, Omaha, Lincoln, Greater Nebraska and Southwest Iowa” by Leo Adam Biga on November 14, 2011.
• “North Omaha Food Desert” by Harvest Public Media
• “No More Empty Pots Intent on Ending North Omaha Food Desert” by Leo Adam Biga on August 13, 2013
• No More Empty Pots official website
• “Can You Really Eat What You Want?” by Roy Fernandez, Cady Wagner and Duewa Partlow for the Omaha Social Project

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED in a place I haven’t included here, please leave a comment below and I may include it. If you have more information about any of these stores or others, please share in the comments section below or contact me.

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