Omaha Exploration

John Tierre Miller spent his first eleven years in Omaha before moving to Houston with his mother. Afterwards he earned a tennis scholarship where he attended Jackson State University and graduated in 2000 with a degree in business. But those formative years spent in Omaha ultimately inspired him to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather John Goodwin who among other things was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who did a lot of good work in the community including helping others find jobs. 

After John graduated from Jackson State, he remained in Mississippi and started a business of his own. His business ventures started with a t-shirt company called Block Wear followed by a barbershop and beauty salon. During that time, he worked as a promoter and producer for local acts. He also found time to start a takeout restaurant named after his grandmother – Norma Ruth’s. The restaurant was popular for its top-notch chef- driven food. That experience led him to go all-in on the restaurant business. To do so he sold all of his businesses and the plaza that housed them.  

In 2015 he purchased the old Crystal Palace in downtown Jackson’s Farish Street Historic District. Once considered one of the most vibrant black communities in the south, the area had fallen into disrepair in the wake of integration that caused white families to flee for the suburbs. The Crystal Palace seemed the perfect place to launch his new restaurant – Johnny T’s Bistro & Blues. It was, after all, the same place where the likes of Redd Fox, Sammy Davis Jr., Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Count Basie once performed.  

John’s passion for design, music, fine food and drinks culminated in the restaurant which quickly became one of Jackson’s hottest venues. Soon celebrities including Morgan Freeman, Steve Harvey and Deion Sanders who called it his favorite restaurant patronized his establishment. John’s efforts as well as others are helping transform the Farish Street Historic District. 

Driven by his desire to revitalize historically black neighborhoods, John returned to Omaha with the goal of doing something similar here. To that end he bought a historic brick building at 3825 N 30th St in the Bedford Place neighborhood. This spot was also strategically located as it was near Adams Park, the Malcolm X Memorial, Bud Crawford’s B & B Academy and Omaha’s oldest black-owned restaurant – Time Out Take Out. The building at 38th and Spaulding Streets was a neighborhood grocery after it was built in 1906. It started its long life as a bar after prohibition and maybe even before that. It went by the names of Green’s Tavern, Spaulding Lounge and more recently the short-lived Soulful Lounge. 

The Bedford Place neighborhood was established in 1885 after the Belt Line railroad laid down its tracks. It was seen as a working-class suburb that was away from downtown but had streetcar access. Like in Jackson, integration led to white flight in North Omaha which had an enormous adverse impact. The area fell into disrepair as white residents and businesses headed further west.

In 2022 he opened his second location right here in Omaha. This one called Johnny T’s Bar & Blues is a cigar lounge that serves up modern cocktails. In addition to a DJ and heated patio, it has a food truck that provides food service to the bar. Johnny T’s food truck was started with the help of Omaha Chef Glenn Wheeler.

Like he did with his original location, John commissioned Menace & Resa Studios to paint a mural on the side of his establishment to shine a light on North Omaha icons: Buddy Miles, John Goodwin, Malcolm X, Bob Gibson and Bud Crawford.

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

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