Omaha Exploration

On the southwest corner of the Old Market sits a warehouse that is a combination candy and variety store that includes a soda fountain, antique and vintage goods, arcade and movie theater. 

The building at 1209 Jackson Street was first the home to Fairmont Creamery when it moved to Omaha in 1904. A pioneer in the milk industry, it was one of the first creameries to give farmers their own hand cream-separators. The business grew rapidly in the 20 years since it was founded in Fairmont, Nebraska 20 years earlier. 

 The company changed its name to Fairmont Foods in 1948 and expanded its product line to include frozen foods, cheese and poultry. The company was, at one time, a part of the Fortune 500 (one of the 500 largest companies in the country). The Omaha facility was shut down in 1982 after the company moved to Houston, Texas in 1975.

The property was purchased by Patrick Venditte in 1996. That year it operated as a haunted house called The Asylum in which visitors had to escape through a maze of scary rooms. Actors of the Omaha Theater Company for Young People played the “insane” inmates that haunted the building. The basement of the building continued to operate as a haunted house including the Carnival of Terror and currently the Dungeon of the Damned.

Around 2002 Bernie Venditte turned it into the Fairmont Antique Mall & Mercantile. The antique mall sold everything from jewelry to mid century furniture from dozens of vendors. In 2009 he and his partner Ray Swiercek, both retired police officers, retired from the business. 

Entrepreneur Larry Richling who owned Hollywood Diner in addition to many other businesses took over it over and renamed it Fairmont Antique & Mercantile, Omaha’s Ultimate Store (FAMOUS). Among those businesses was Hollywood Candy which he opened in 2007 at 501 S 13th Street. He relocated the business to this larger building which also served as the offices for his Keystone Group. The new endeavor was designed as a nostalgia center and tourist attraction that supplemented the antique mall by adding a candy store, casual restaurant, movie theater and later an arcade to the antique mall.

He acquired the soda fountain from Cris’ Rexall Drug at 50th and Dodge Streets and vinyl stools from Tiner’s Drive-in, a popular 1960s teen hangout. Other repurposed items included benches from Ranch Bowl, a ten cent per ride mechanical horse from Phillips Department Store, 1931 popcorn truck with a peanut grinder, pink Cadillac, 1970’s era telephone booth, life-sized plastic statues of the Blues Brothers and the marquee from the Cinema Center movie theater.

The deck on the east side of the building was constructed to allow customers to walk up to a takeout window and order White Castle burgers, Nathan’s hot dogs or to rent multi-seated, four wheeled bicycles. He also added a small movie theater from which classic movies were played.  

Larry also used the building to display his PEZ dispenser collection which was considered to be one of the largest and most valuable in the world. He owned nearly every one produced and distributed nationwide as well as several others that were never released to consumers. He even so far as to contract with a company to produce 25,000 special edition Husker PEZ dispensers that were only available at Hollywood Candy.

Due to the success of the downtown store, he opened two more: one in Oak View Mall and another in Westroads Mall. He even considered further expansion before closing the mall stores by 2010. Even after his Hollywood Diners closed, the original store continued to thrive.

The store has seen its share of famous customers including Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. Following the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in 2018, Bill Gates filmed an episode of his video blog alongside Warren Buffett. Jack White of the White Stripes even played a secret show in 2012.

Larry sold the store around 2021 to partners Aaron Wojtkiewicz, Jim Kristl and Bob and Heather Czerwinski who also own the nearby Downtown Omaha Oasis. In an effort to revive the dining area which was also named Hollywood Diner, they recently began serving boozy milkshakes and slushies alongside its food offerings which include burgers, not dogs, chicken strips, Orsi’s pizza and more.

In 2025 the Omaha Choice Awards named Hollywood Candy the Best Candy/Sweets Store. Building on its longevity and popularity, the store will expand yet again, this time to Eppley Airfield after it finishes its expansion. 

It should be pointed out that the history of the site dates back to the founding of Omaha. In 1854 the city’s first European settlers, William and Rachel Snowden, built their residence in the this area. They also operated the first hotel, St. Nicholas Hotel otherwise known as the Claim House.

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