Omaha Exploration

Sandwiched between the more recognizable Dundee Theater to the east and Goldberg’s to the west is Pageturners Lounge. The building that the lounge now occupies was constructed in 1933. At that time, it was the home to Old English Inn operated by the beloved Northrup-Jones restaurant. Northrup had locations at 1617 Farnam Streets and at the northeast corner of 36th and Farnam Streets.

Over the next few decades, this small bay that is 22-ft wide and 1,650 sq ft saw a number of tenants. Among those were the offices of Imperial Casualty and Indemnity Company (1955-1962), Arne M. Mattson’s shoe store until 1977, World Book Childcraft International and Franco Hair Stylists Internationale, Inc in 1981.

Starting 1991, building owner Cliff Herman leased the building to Pageturner Used Book Store. Cliff held on to the building after the owner of the bookstore changed. 10 years later when Starbucks came calling and made Cliff a sizable offer for the location, he turned them down. Cliff, it seems, operated the aforementioned World Book and made enough money selling encyclopedias for the company that he was in a position to turn the world’s most coffee company down. Instead, he preferred to let owner Jeff Armstrong and his collection of 40,000 books stay.

After the bookstore closed, Omaha natives musicians Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Phil Schaffart of Con Dios opened a lounge at 5004 Dodge Street. The musicians and friends had considered several locations but found this one to be ideal. Initially there were concerns among neighbors that the lounge would serve as a music venue and the increased traffic would further exacerbate the parking situation on Capitol Avenue and other nearby streets in the Dundee neighborhood. They retained the Pageturners name when the bar opened in 2012 but renovated the interior and added a patio space along Dodge. 

The neighborhood lounge with sunken bar, vintage wood paneled walls, black vinyl chairs and a semi-private room that was once a part of Old English Inn decades earlier. The space with its small stage and piano seems to host musical acts a little more often these days, it’s still primarily a neighborhood joint.

During my visit, I found the lounge with its sunken, L-shaped bar to be comfortable with a low-key vibe. For me, it fits perfectly in the Dundee neighborhood even if Dodge Street feels a bit disconnected with all of the traffic whizzing by along Omaha’s main thoroughfare. Pageturners is known for serving some of the area’s best cocktail and host events including literary pub quizzes, karaoke and femme open mic night.

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