- Construction dominates Farnam Street in Blackstone, but the Greater Omaha Chamber is helping businesses.
- Some businesses who qualify, like Blackstone Social, will get a share of a near $1 million grant.
- The new grant will only be for businesses impacted by the streetcar construction west of Turner Blvd.
These days in Midtown, orange is the new Blackstone. Some businesses are receiving financial relief through grants, but the assistance comes with strict geographic limitations that exclude other struggling establishments.
Mike DiGiacomo, owner of Blackstone Social, said his business is among those receiving aid.
"Businesses are really, really getting impacted by this," DiGiacomo said.
While DiGiacomo acknowledged the grant amount isn't substantial, he views it as helpful for future challenges.
"There's gonna be a couple years where there's going to be some pain. We're going to just put that money in our general fund and when there's slow weeks or slow months, we're going to have to put that money to good use," DiGiacomo said.
To qualify for the grants, businesses must be retail food or beverage establishments with active leases since August 1 of this year. The most restrictive requirement is that businesses must be located west of Turner Boulevard and physically situated on Farnam Street.
This geographic limitation excludes establishments like Kitchen Table, a restaurant surrounded by multiple construction projects downtown.
Colin Duggan, part owner of Kitchen Table, said business has declined significantly due to construction disruptions.
"Business is definitely down. People just don't want to come downtown with all the construction. I mean, it takes you 30 minutes to get from Saddle Creek to 13th Street on Leavenworth, and Leavenworth is the only street that's open," Duggan said.
The Greater Omaha Chamber says businesses west of Turner are the most impacted by streetcar construction and face greater risk of reduced customer traffic and lower sales.
However, Duggan questions the fairness of the geographic restrictions.
"I don't want it to come off like I'm not happy for those businesses. This is how things should be. I just feel like the idea of separating it out and saying the only people affected are west of Turner Boulevard is ridiculous," Duggan said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
