Omaha Exploration

Continuing with our exploration of the small buildings in what was once known as the West Center District. In 1935 Lewis Pospisil moved to Omaha and opened a small fruit market at 3522 Center. At the time, it was one of few businesses located between the Field Club neighborhood to its north and Hanscom Park to its south. Lewis owned the land east to 35th where the Center Theater would be built 20 years later. 

By 1940 he would pivot from operating a fruit and veggie stand to a bar and package liquor store called Center Street Beer Market. Details are scarce but it seems that he had both a pinball machine and jukebox inside the 960 square foot building. Lewis would continue to operate the store until around 1970. 

At that point it would remain a neighborhood bar called Bob’s Alibi which remained at the location until 1990. By that time it was renamed as Fires Out Pub and finally Fifth Precinct in 1992. The new owners hadn’t gotten around to changing the sign out front when tragedy struck. In 1993 a drunk driver driving east on Center rammed into the building killing one regular who was sitting at the bar and injuring four others. The accident caused extensive damage and required the pub to be remodeled with a new bar, floor and ceiling. Less than a year later a fire that started in the trash caused further damage. That marked the building’s end as the neighborhood watering hole. 

This stretch of Center had been the longtime home of two ice cream shops which started out as Evans and Reeds. Looking to bring that tradition back to the community, the building reopened as a seasonal ice cream shop called Scoops Hard & Soft Serve Ice Cream. Soon after it was converted into the popular Center Street Cafe Espresso. Its homemade soup and breads made it a go-to lunch destination for many. To complement its small dining room, a spacious patio was added out front allowing customers to enjoy not only the fresh lunch fare but also to sip an espresso and enjoy the scenery. The restaurant soon outgrew the small building and its owner relocated to Fort Calhoun at which point she opened Finicky Franks. 

Afterwards the building became the office to U.S. Grounds Maintenance until the 2010’s. By 2020, however, the neglected site was in desperate need of new life. That’s when it was remodeled and reopened as Sheelytown Market, paying homage to the historic ethnic neighborhood located just to the east. The tiny store which was set back further from Center was easy to miss with the larger buildings surrounding it. That changed with its bright colors and eye-catching sign. In fact, the popularity of the store exploded during the pandemic. Until the time it moved to a new location, the shop hosted workshops and makers markets while becoming a catalyst for the revived business district surrounding it.

I’d love to hear what you have to say so please feel free to comment. Until next time, keep exploring!

Bonus Pics