OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The owners of Wohlner's Neighborhood Grocery have announced their intention to close, marking the end of the store's 100 years in Omaha.
Bob and Dianne Kimball plan to retire, the store said in an announcement Wednesday morning. Midtown Crossing Vice President of Marketing and Communications Molly Skold says closing was a tough decision for the Kimballs.
"I think there's sadness. But also gosh, what could be next and, you know, change isn't always bad and, you know, they understand that Bob and Dianne want to move on and, and enjoy this next chapter," said Skold.
An exact closing date has not been set yet.
"This decision certainly wasn't easy," said Bob Kimball. "But after many years of serving this community, we feel it's time to enjoy the next chapter of our lives. We're incredibly grateful for the support of our loyal customers, who have become like family to us."
The store has been at its current location at Midtown Crossing at 33rd St. and Dodge for 15 years, and had occupied the building at 52nd St. and Leavenworth prior to that.
Skold says they don't know what will become of the space, but says Midtown Crossing will take neighborhood needs into consideration while choosing a leaser.
"We know Wohlners has served this community so well and it's been such a great store and we wanna, you know, be, be very cognizant and, and aware of what is around us," said Skold.
This leaves downtown and midtown residents with fewer options for grocery shopping as the city encourages more development and growth in those neighborhoods.
Neighbor Brando Roch and his wife moved to Omaha from San Francisco a year ago, he says they chose Midtown Crossing because of it's walk-ability.
"Those neighborhoods are super walkable and everything from a grocery store to the post office or whatever is literally like a block or two away. So that's why we chose midtown when we moved here is so we could have a grocery store that was like a block and a half away. Now that it's going away, it's just a big bummer," said Roch.
Wohlners will be offering 15% off to customers in the meantime.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
