A nonprofit grocery store along Lake Street in North Omaha is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Last week, the Omaha City Council unanimously approved a series of resolutions clearing the way for the project to move forward. The area where the planned nearly 25,000 square foot grocery store and an accompanying outdoor plaza will sit is currently a vacant lot.
The store will be owned and operated by Heart Ministry Center, a North Omaha nonprofit that provides social services including a food pantry, a Fresh Start job training program and a free health clinic. In 2020, the nonprofit launched its first social enterprise business: A self-service laundromat that employs participants of the job training programs and offers regular free laundry days.
At a community meeting on Wednesday, Heart Ministry Center CEO Damany Rahn said the success of the laundromat and successive social enterprises – a florist and screenprinting business – helped push the organization to pursue another opportunity.
“It’s about putting people back to work – specifically for our Fresh Start graduates,” he said. “For the grocery store, we’ll specifically target community members, and providing goods and services in the community that are really necessary. This project is really, really special for us, and for this community.”
Though there are multiple corner and convenience stores in the area of the future grocery store, there are few options with fresh produce, meats and grab-and-go options. The nearest full-service grocery stores are up to 3 miles away from the site.
“This will be right in the heart of North Omaha – right in the heart of a really special corridor, the North 24th Street corridor, which is what was called the Street of Dreams,” Rahn said. “Hopefully we can help in bringing back what the Street of Dreams was. Just doing our little part to be a part of that.”
There will be no tobacco or alcohol sold at the store, and they will not have the “skill games” present at many grocery stores and convenience shops. A community engagement room within the grocery store will offer blood pressure checks and connections with other community organizations.
Rahn said they also want to ensure that the offerings are “culturally appropriate” and responsive to the community.
“There’s been a couple of grocery stores that have closed in this area,” he told the crowd. “Me and my wife used to shop at one of those stores, because they had the items that we needed. You guys have asked for those items, and we will have those items in the grocery store.”
A few common themes came up in community feedback, which included focus groups and a survey that garnered 425 responses: affordability, evening and weekend hours, security and local hiring.
Naomi Hattaway, who led the community engagement efforts, said they heard two distinct messages about security. Some expressed concerns that insufficient security would lead to shoplifting, which could drive up prices. Others said they didn’t want to feel watched by security as they shop or have to check in their bags and backpacks at the front desk.
“The Heart Ministry team is navigating – what does it mean to then hold both of those things as really important to the community?” Hattaway said.
The land is owned by RH Land Management, which is associated with the Sherwood Foundation, a philanthropic megadonor in Omaha led by Susie Buffett. The company has owned the land since 2014, according to county tax records, and will pay for all infrastructure improvements needed at the site – like adding sidewalks and water infrastructure.
A groundbreaking is set to take place on Sept. 19. Construction is expected to take about 18 months.