Omaha is a city full of talented and creative entrepreneurs, but until a few years ago, there wasn’t a great place to be able to find all their goods, pantry items, and accessories in one place.
Enter Made in Omaha.
This local shop with two locations (in Downtown Omaha and Countryside Village) proudly sells items from over 90 locals makers. Peruse the aisles here and you’ll find T-shirts, chocolates, jewelry, hot sauce, books, decorations, and just about anything else you can think of, all made by someone in your local community.
Owner Teri Hall has long had a love for Omaha makers and a passion for highlighting their talents. She just needed a way to connect them with Omaha shoppers, and her stores have been the perfect solution since the first one opened in 2018.
“It’s just such a great feeling that I have to be able to showcase their goods in a way they wouldn’t be able to on their own,” Hall said. “A lot of our makers that we work with, this isn’t their full-time job.
“We really give people an opportunity for people to have their goods exposed to other avenues that they wouldn’t have an area for. It’s also a local spot for people around as opposed to someone they’d see at the farmers market or just markets in general. We just love people being able to get those goods whenever they need them and having a year-round shop for that.”
Hall’s love for local was first put on full display in 2016 when she launched Hutchfest, a pop-up market that highlighted local vendors and was so popular that it became an annual event. It’s since been rebranded to Midwest Fest and draws hundreds of interested Omaha shoppers each year, and it’s popularity sparked the idea in Hall’s mind. If Omaha was so passionate about buying local goods at this event, would they shop for Omaha goods year round?
The answer has been a resounding yes, as Omaha shoppers love perusing the apparel, pantry goods, candles, and other curiosities in the store. While Hall acknowledges that most of the items in her store are likely available in some form at a large chain retailer, she emphasizes the craft that these small makers put into their products and the great importance of supporting the Omaha community in your shopping.
When Omaha shoppers visit Made in Omaha, they empower and support local entrepreneurs and help them chase their dreams.
“When you’re buying a soap or something that you could get somewhere else, you’re putting that dollar back into the Omaha community, which is just going to help build that back up,” Hall said. “You’re also supporting someone that this is their side passion. This is their hustle. It’s something that’s handmade. It’s someone you might know in your community.
“To me, you’re really giving that money to someone that’s handcrafting something, and that goes a lot further than purchasing something from Walmart or Target.”
