North Omaha Grocery Store Breaks Ground at 25th and Lake: 30 to 40 Jobs Planned
OMAHA, NE — The North Omaha grocery store that broke ground Sept. 19 near 25th and Lake is a jobs story as much as a food story. Heart Ministry Center plans to run the roughly 25,000-square-foot store as a social enterprise, and local reporting has put its expected staff at 30 to 40 people, many of them from the neighborhood around it. Nobody is hiring yet, but the way in is already open.
No postings, no pay rates and no confirmed opening date yet, but a full-service grocer with a butcher shop and deli is coming to 25th and Lake, and many of its hires are expected to come from a local training program that is already running.
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| Business | Full-service grocery store (name not yet chosen) |
| Operator | Heart Ministry Center, a North Omaha nonprofit |
| Address | 2511 Lake Street, Omaha, NE 68111 |
| Size | About 25,000 square feet |
| Groundbreaking | Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 |
| Concept | Fresh produce, full-service butcher shop, deli, everyday staples |
| New jobs | 30 to 40 expected, per local reporting; no positions posted |
What's Being Built at 25th and Lake
Heart Ministry Center held a ceremonial groundbreaking on vacant land southwest of 25th and Lake streets on Sept. 19 with Mayor John Ewing Jr. on hand, the Nebraska Examiner reported. The center lists the store at 2511 Lake Street. The project is estimated at about $7 million, and $1.5 million comes from the state's North and South Omaha Recovery Grant program, run by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
City Council member LaVonya Goodwin told the crowd it had been 58 years since the neighborhood had a full-service grocery store. Plans call for fresh produce, a full-service butcher shop and a deli. It doesn't have a name yet.
💼 The Jobs: What's Known and What Isn't
Local TV reporting this summer put expected staffing at 30 to 40 employees. Heart Ministry Center hasn't posted any positions, published pay, or set a hiring date, and its own grocery page doesn't give a headcount. Get your resume ready and watch for postings, but don't expect applications soon.
The timeline is long. Flatwater Free Press reported an 18-month build that would put the opening in early 2028. Treat that as a projection; the center hasn't announced an opening date. WOWT reported this summer that the store isn't planning self-checkout, which, if it holds, means staffed registers.
Stores with a meat counter and deli usually staff cashiers, stockers, produce clerks, meat cutters and deli workers. That's a typical lineup, not a posted roster.
🎓 The Fresh Start Pipeline
Store revenue goes back into the center's programs, and CEO Dom Rahn put the model plainly to WOWT: "Social Enterprise puts our Fresh Start graduates back to work." The center's grocery page says many team members will be Fresh Start graduates, and that it will also hire from the wider community.
Fresh Start offers up to nine months of job training and personal development at no cost. It serves unemployed adults who have been incarcerated or are in recovery, and participants must be sober to enter. It runs out of 2222 Binney Street; call (402) 702-2385 to ask about intake, and confirm details before you go.
📋 How to Get Ready Before Postings Go Up
- Get grocery experience now. Metro chains hire through the holidays, and register or deli time is what a new store will look for.
- Tighten your resume. The free LiveWell DressWell job fair on Dec. 9 at 48th Street in North Omaha and Bellevue's evening resume workshops are close options.
- Watch the source. Hiring news will come from Heart Ministry Center first.
🔎 Search Omaha Grocery Jobs Now
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FAQ
Is the North Omaha grocery store hiring now?
No. Heart Ministry Center hasn't posted positions or announced a hiring date.
How many jobs will the store have?
Local reporting has put expected staffing at 30 to 40 employees. The center hasn't published an official headcount.
When will it open?
No official date has been announced. Flatwater Free Press reported an 18-month build, pointing to early 2028.
Do I have to go through Fresh Start to work there?
No. Many hires are expected to be Fresh Start graduates, but the center also plans to hire from the wider community.
Get Ready for North Omaha's Next Hiring Wave
Lake Street postings are a ways off, but grocery jobs are open across the metro today. Create your free LocalJobPage account, and browse the Omaha Career Center for role-by-role guides.
Employers: Hiring in North Omaha or anywhere in the metro? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach local job seekers.
Related Reading
- LiveWell DressWell Job Fair Dec. 9 in North Omaha
- Bellevue Resume and Cover Letter Workshops
- Baker's Marketplace at 204th and Q: 300+ Jobs
- Trader Joe's Second Omaha Store at Avenue One
Fifty-eight years, by Goodwin's count, is a long time to wait for a grocery store. When the doors open on Lake Street, a few blocks off 24th, the people behind the counters are meant to be neighbors.
