Local bike and coffee shop looks towards expansion

The Omaha Bicycle Company (OBC), a quaint bike and coffee shop in Benson, has been operating in a small space off of Maple street for the past five years. After the neighboring eclectic antique store vacated their space, the Bicycle Company saw their chance and took it, giving way to a much-needed expansion.
“We’ve been dreaming of more space since about our second year here”, the owner says. “In the summer we’re a lot busier and run out of room really quickly with all of the space needed for new bikes and bikes that are in for repairs.”
The new addition will be complete with one hundred hooks for built bikes, a back room receiving area, an entirely new tool bench with a power lift work stand, and much more space for repair bikes.
Sarah Johnson, the owner and manager of the Omaha Bicycle Company as well as a Central alumnus, has been in the bike industry for seventeen years. On Halloween in 2012, the shop opened as a joint bike and coffee shop. “This shop always has been a combination bike and coffee shop since day one; we get a lot of questions about which came first”, Johnson explains. “We were the first shop of its kind in Omaha and neither bike nor coffee shops could be found in Benson before we opened in 2012.”
As one of the original businesses in the now-booming Benson neighborhood, the shop is adored by local bikers and regular patrons alike. Besides traditional business, the OBC also offers community rides, potlucks, and concerts in hopes of getting other Omahans interested in bicycling.
Anticipating a busy summer, the OBC is very grateful to have the opportunity to expand to grow their business and clientele. “In the summer we’re a lot busier and run out of room really quickly with all of the space needed for new bikes and bikes that are in for repairs. The new space will allow us to have many more bikes ready to go out the door”, states Johnson.
The Omaha Bicycle Company is looking forward to spending another successful five years in a more accommodating space so that they may continue to bring together the community.