Welcome to the second in a series of stories featuring different businesses that have relocated to Bellevue over the past year. Different business owners share the reasons behind their decision to relocate, how they ultimately chose Bellevue, and their experiences with the Bellevue community.
● ● ● ● ●
Omaha Bakery owner Michelle Kaiser came to Bellevue looking for a larger space for her growing business. What she found in Wolf Creek Plaza was a former Panera Bread location that was exactly what she needed. It offered all of the core things a bakery would need including the power setup, the walk-ins, and the oven.
“We were looking for a higher-traffic area and needed a bigger location that could handle volume baking. Our Keto baking is very popular and the space that we had at 72nd Street in Omaha ….. We were at our limit and it was almost to the point that we were nonproductive because there was no room to work,” Kaiser said.
While 72nd Street in Omaha is one of the busiest roads in the Metro, that didn’t always translate into sales. they had a lot of traffic going by but the location didn’t have an easy way in and out and there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic. Before Covid things were ok, but during Covid most of the groups that would show up for weekly networking meetings just weren’t going out anymore.
The need for a bigger space with more foot traffic and walk-in customers led Kaiser to Bellevue.
“Bellevue is a great community and prior to moving here I had heard really great things about Bellevue being a community that supported each other. We had found that at our other location in Elkhorn and that was one of our big reasons for coming to Bellevue.”
Business since moving to Bellevue has had ups and downs, but Kaiser was quick to point out that the hardships have less to do with Bellevue and are more due to national trends affecting all businesses like rising prices of food, shipping costs, labor shortages, and seemingly random breaks in different supply chains.
“We were very busy from right when we opened in October of last year and through the holidays. Then it kind of slowed down a bit but picked back up a few months later. I do feel like right now is a little bit harder because of our economy. We are a luxury item and I think many people may be going without instead of spending and that is making it very challenging for us… but we are hoping to have a big holiday season.”
Despite the challenges, Kaiser was very enthusiastic in sharing how The Omaha Bakery has been welcomed by the Bellevue community.
“We have regulars that come in daily. We see a lot of military personnel and always give them a discount. It amazes me because things I expected to be big items in Bellevue haven’t always been the case. For example…. BREAD – Bellevue loves its bread! And it amazes me. Bread is my absolute favorite thing to bake – and we almost always sell out on the same day. Also cookies! The volume of cookies that we sell is crazy.”
The Omaha Bakery recently posted new hours. They are open from 8am – 6pm Tuesday through Saturday and 8am – 4pm on Sundays. They are closed on Mondays. The bakery is located at 10503 South 15th Street and can be reached by phone (402-991-9200) or eMail (info@theomahabakery.com)
