Omaha Exploration

The small bar around the corner from the Harte Block on 50th and Underwood Avenue in Dundee seems like it’s been there forever. Surprisingly to me, Dundee Cork & Bottle only dates back to 1997.

The building itself was constructed in 1912 and served as a barbershop for decades. The barbershop was run by John Pestal Sr. who learned the trade in his native Czechoslovakia. After arriving in Omaha he setup his first shop Little Bohemia before moving west. After fighting in World War I, he opened Underwood Barbershop in 1923. Located at 5013 Underwood Avenue, it was next door to Buffett and Sons Grocery.

John met his wife Marie only after she entered the shop one day for a haircut – it seems that was a relatively common practice back in those days. They got married in 1925 and moved into a house right across the street from Ernest Buffett’s store. John was well-known in the community and often kept a watchful eye on kids playing across the street. His shop was a popular gathering spot for checkers. Sometimes, people would drop-in for a friendly game or to play against the barber while he was in-between cuts.

His son, John Jr. worked as an errand boy for the Buffett Grocery Store when he was a kid and even shoveled snow with Ernest’s grandson, Warren. The younger John was a talented athlete and would often play pickup games in the empty lots in the neighborhood. He would go on to letter in four different sports. In addition to being a champion pole vaulter he won trophies competing in basketball, soccer and bowling. Growing up in his dad’s shop, he also became quite skilled at checkers.

Junior worked in sales and construction before being drafted to fight in the Korean War. When he returned in 1951, he went to Nebraska Barber College. He started working alongside his father in 1954. By that point, the barbershop moved around the corner. At that time the building had two different entrances and address: 614 and 616 N 50th St.

He suffered the tragic loss of his own son in 1967 when he was just 14 years old. To help move past the tragedy, he formed a youth soccer team called the Hillside Kickers. Competitive soccer had been dormant in Omaha since before World War II and John had worked to revive it since 1955. In 1968 he became the director of the Omaha’s youth league, Crossroads Little League Soccer.

After John’s father retired and passed away in 1987, the son dutifully continued to operate the family business. A well-earned reputation allowed him to work solely on word-of-mouth rather than having to advertise. He never took appointments or even owned a telephone during the last 10 years that he operated his shop.

Inside the shop you would find not only Nebraska Cornhusker memorabilia but shelves displaying the trophies that he had won when he was a younger man. Despite his increasing age, he continued to play checkers competitively and was a 12-time state champion who continued to win into his 80s. At times the state tournament was even played in his home.

Back to Dundee Cork & Bottle: It opened after John the younger retired in 1997 thereby opening the door for Charles Kline and Laurie Smejkal to setup shop alongside Dundee Cigar & Tobacco Shop. Charles previously opened SG Roi Tobacconist and Havana Garage in the Old Market, Rathskeller in midtown and bought The Nifty Bar in Benson. While the tobacco store has closed, the quaint neighborhood bar remains a staple of the Dundee neighborhood.

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