Women-Owned Businesses in Omaha

Omaha’s women-owned businesses delight visitors with fashionable finds, thoughtful gifts, and delicious bites and beverages. Read on to discover talent worth traveling for. 

Food + Drink 

Artemis Tea & Botanical

Andrea Lawse, the force behind Artemis Tea & Botanical, combines Western Herbalism, Chinese Medicine, and Ayurveda in her hand-crafted small-batch tea blends. Lawse offers cups that balance nature’s healing properties and good taste. Stop by the Blackstone District shop for a hot cup or buy a bag of loose-leaf tea to take home. You’ll feel nurtured long after your trip to Omaha concludes. 

Bad Seed Coffee & Supply + Nodest Home Plants

Sourcing direct-trade coffee, Bad Seed Coffee roasts its beans in-house. Sip a single-origin coffee and meet owner Brenna McCrary—unless she’s busy hanging out with her best friend and building co-tenant, Shannon Beck, who owns Nodest Home Plants. Nodest sells a variety of plants (some that travel easy and would love to go home with you) and hosts workshops and events. Coffee, houseplants, and besties? Sounds like the perfect excuse for a girls’ road trip to Omaha! 

Big Mama’s Kitchen and Catering

Gladys Harrison took over her family’s restaurant in a bright new space in the Highlander Accelerator Building in North Omaha after her mother, “Big Mama” Patricia Barron, passed away. Harrison keeps her mother’s spirit alive, serving recipes passed down generations, and making guests feel at home. Dig into comforting dishes like fried catfish, macaroni and cheese, greens, and cornbread with honey butter. Try the sweet potato pie ice cream for dessert and buy some original spice mixes for a souvenir. 

Carter & Rye

Founded by friends Kate “Carter” Anderson and Sarah “Rye” Ryan, Carter & Rye’s hand pies draw inspiration from international traditions, like Cornwall’s pasty and Latin America's empanadas. Each pie feels like a gift, whether stuffed with international flavor inspirations like kimchi and sausage, or basic comforts like brown sugar and cinnamon. Visit the store in midtown Omaha, or find the Carter & Rye stand at Omaha Farmers Markets. Pick up a pie or two and receive the affirmation, “You’re the hot one.” 

Dry Spokes

Wives Mi-Ya Mata and Leah Wright, owners of an Omaha dry bar, have never feared the unconventional path. Mata spent her first year of marriage to Wright abroad. She’d planned for adventure – but not a pandemic. Stuck in her apartment, she discovered crafting cocktails was enjoyable but came with literal headaches. Luckily, non-alcoholic spirits and beers were arriving on the market. After returning to Omaha, Mata, with support from Wright, pursued her passion for making delicious drinks without alcohol. The couple had successful sales at pop-up events. In 2023, they opened a brick-and-mortar dry bar in midtown that hosts various weekly events, including game nights, open mics, yoga and LGBTQ+ comedy shows. Inside the cozy environs, conversation buzzes and laughter rings. It’s an inclusive, joyful space that welcomes you back whenever you visit Omaha. 

Modern Love 

New York-born-and-raised Isa Chandra Moskowitz launched her award-winning vegan restaurant Modern Love in Omaha in 2014. The cookbook author of "Vegan with a Vengeance" and "Isa Does It" has been celebrated as one of the best plant-based chefs by national publications. Dive into these vegan comfort foods at Midtown Crossing the next time you’re in Omaha. For appetizers, choose from blistered shishitos with edamame mint hummus, oyster mushroom calamari or latkes and applesauce. Mains include burgers, sandwiches, salads and entrees. The Classic Mac & Shews is a creamy dish with crispy tofu chick’n and garlicky sauteed kale. Don’t miss the chance to try these uniquely delicious culinary creations on your next visit. 

Sweet Magnolias

The treats at Sweet Magnolias are both impossibly delicious and comfortingly familiar. No wonder – these delectable confections trace their origins to Katina Talley, a creator with scientific chops and a childhood baked with food-centric family tradition. Talley learned to cook and bake alongside her mother, father and grandmother in rural Nebraska. Her passion for culinary exploration propelled her to a degree in food science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a career as a food scientist in the ConAgra Foods bakery lab. Talley left to return to her baking roots and opened Sweet Magnolias in midtown Omaha. She opened a second location at Millwork Commons in 2023. Both locations offer an array of scones, pecan rolls, coffee cakes, cookies, and more, baked fresh daily. Gluten-free and vegan options are also on the menu. Don’t miss this sweetness next time you’re in Omaha. 

The Banh Mi Shop

Like most college students, Chloe Tran had food cravings. For her, the craving was for a bánh mì sandwich. It had been one of her favorite childhood snacks growing up in Saigon. She longed for the crusty, flaky bread smeared with rich pate and homemade mayonnaise and stacked with cold cuts. She dreamed of the crunchy pickled vegetables, green onion, fresh coriander, and spicy green chilis that punched up the flavor. But unlike most college students, satisfying the craving required more chutzpah than ordering a pizza. Tran started a restaurant. 

The Banh Mi Shop serves a variety of traditional Vietnamese sandwiches, some Asian fusion options, and noodles. For drinks, try a boba tea—a Taiwanese treat, not Vietnamese, but a taste that links Tran to her childhood. (One of her fondest memories was riding on the back of her mother’s motorcycle and sipping boba tea.) The Bellevue shop attracts a healthy lunch crowd, and Tran can be found hanging out in the cozy space with her two children, who will surely make their own fond childhood food memories over a warm sandwich and an icy drink. Bring your kids to Omaha and stop at this family-friendly restaurant to create unforgettable moments. 

Shopping + Gifts

Albany & Avers

Discover sustainable fashion at Albany and Avers. Founded by Amanda Failla Tjarks, this Dundee boutique offers curated vintage and pre-owned clothing for all sizes. Explore unique styles and reduce waste. Plus, watch for Tjarks’ special thrift tours, where she takes shoppers on a treasure hunt at vintage spots throughout town. Looking fabulous and feeling virtuous about your impact on the planet? It’s a win-win! 

Esther’s

Esther’s has been an Omaha fashion haven and one of Omaha’s best-kept secrets for more than 40 years. The store offers gently used designer clothing and accessories. Owner Trish Lonergan developed her eye for fashion working alongside her mother, Esther, who founded the business. Although Esther passed away in 2008, Trish remains carefully curating styles with a passionate staff, many of whom have backgrounds in the fashion industry. They are ready to provide you with stylish suggestions. 

Five Nine Shop & Project

Five Nine is a specialty shop in Omaha’s Benson neighborhood specializing in stationery, paper goods and practical art owned by Megan Hunt, a Nebraska State Senator known for advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. Hunt curates her offerings to bring joy and creativity into everyday life. 

J. Diane Creations

As a young girl, Jennifer Young learned to appreciate greeting cards from her dad, who would slowly go through the selections until he found the one that expressed his heart. Young leaned into that philosophy of sincerity and love in her work as a wedding planner. Today, she spreads her joy for creativity with others. Find her teaching DIY workshops at Hot Shops, where participants can paint sneakers, craft paper florals, and design Halloween costumes. 

Julia M. Illustrates

At Julia M Illustrates Studio & Gift Shop, creativity meets community. Founded by Julia McGuigan, a former Omaha Public School teacher turned full-time artist, the shop sells prints, souvenirs, art supplies, books, and more in North Downtown Omaha. Watch Julia at work before shopping painstakingly detailed illustrations of visitor attractions and neighborhoods. It’s a way to keep your favorite Omaha view with you after your trip concludes.

Made in Omaha

Native Omahan Teri Hall believes in the importance of supporting local makers. “I want to celebrate Nebraska creatives and make local shopping accessible to everyone.” Hall’s three Made in Omaha shop locations feature products from more than 90 local artisans and farmers. Visitors can choose from homemade pantry items, apparel, jewelry, and more. Hall also helms Midwest Fest (formerly HutchFest), which gathers artisanal vendors from across the Plains for a brilliant bazaar at Heartland of America Park at The RiverFront.

Status

How does the material feel? How does the geometry look on your shape? What does its weight inspire? Status owner Christi Ballard knows trying out a luxury handbag is a sensory experience. Her shop in Aksarben Village offers gently used second-hand luxury handbags. What started as a side hustle for Ballard became a full-time business in 2020. Next time you’re in Omaha, let Ballard help you find the perfect bag to flex your fashion sense.  

The Next Chapter

Bookstores are in Shelly Mutum’s DNA. She grew up snuggled among the shelves, reading at her family’s independent bookstore in central Nebraska. Today, Shelly owns The Next Chapter in midtown Omaha, a vibrant shop with patio space to meet with friends or simply enjoy a beverage and sink into a new book. Find more Omaha book and comic stores here. 
 

We hope this list inspires you to meet Omaha’s electrifying entrepreneurs and taste, try, and shop their offerings during your stay. For even more women-owned businesses, click the links below.