One of Omaha’s most unique dives sits in the basement of a six-room house at the intersection of 22nd and Pierce Streets. Before it became the home to Josephine’s Cozy Corner Lounge it served as the home of the Scarpello family.
Fred Scarpello immigrated to the United States in 1906 followed by Josephine Vitello in 1909. The two married later that year while he worked for the railroad. Two years later the couple bought a house at 2201 Pierce Street for their growing family.
Fred eventually turned a portion of the house into the neighborhood grocery store called the Cozy Corner. It was likely named as such due to the small size and the fact that it was on the corner of 22nd and Pierce. The grocery store evolved into an ice cream parlor and restaurant over the years. It wasn’t until after Fred passed away in 1942 that it would become a bar.
Fred Jr first opened the bar, Club 22, upon returning from World War II in 1944. His bar did well enough that he converted the basement into what he called Omaha’s most unique cocktail lounge, the Argento Room. Argento translates to silver in English and was named so because one wall displayed 400 silver dollars that were donated to the bar. The neighborhood bar featured an Italian landscape on another wall and had wrought iron chairs and tables giving it the feel of a sidewalk cafe.
During this time, Josephine continued to own the building but would sell it to her daughter, Anne Rizzuto. After Fred closed his bar due to a family dispute, Anne opened her own bar named after both her family’s grocery store and her mother. It was at this point in 1980 that Josephine’s Cozy Corner Lounge was born in the space that had been the Argento Room. Its namesake, Josephine Scarpello, passed away in 1987.
The neighborhood bar remains family owned and sits in what is likely a much quieter neighborhood than it was when the Scarpello family first moved there. Josephine’s is one of the more unique bars in town. It has that old school basement vibe that contemporary bars attempt to emulate except it’s been that way for decades. You wouldn’t know it was a bar except for the sign perched atop of the building. It isn’t until after you walk down the stairwell and pass the trophy case that the bar reveals itself. The trophy case was originally built for a relative who went to the 1948 Olympics. Now it displays trophies and other memorabilia from its owner’s days playing for the Huskers.
The dimly lit bar is cozy and intimate. Its eclectic decor includes creepy doll heads that sit along a ledge in front of old school Parisian-style wallpaper. The Christmas lights strung along the mirrors behind the bar just adds to the ambiance. The bar also contains a television, pool table and jukebox.
While not the oldest bar in town, Josephine’s is one of a kind. It has witnessed the closure of both Rotella’s and Malara’s next door. It also survived the transformation of the neighborhood from a busy business district to a quiet residential neighborhood which will see an influx of people due to the construction of new apartments nearby. If you plan to visit, remember to bring cash as they don’t accept cards.
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