Like many local businesses, the Dundee Dell experienced the economic impacts of the pandemic last year. Unfortunately, the local business closed its doors permanently in July.
As it turns out, that closing was only temporary. After being bought by a group of investors, the iconic Omaha restaurant is currently undergoing renovations and planning to open again in the spring. Reopening a business is not something that happens overnight, especially during a pandemic. There’s also never a guarantee that it will go well.
However, UNO marketing and entrepreneurship professor Xiaoming Yang, Ph.D., said this is fairly common.
“It is super common for businesses to reopen after some economic downturn because customers have a lot of needs,” said Yang.
Yang says fulfilling customers’ needs is what small businesses are all about. Zoom was an example he provided of economic growth. While they started off as a small business, Zoom has become one of the most common ways to communicate and work in the past year, Yang said.
“I don’t think that small businesses will continue closing in 2021. Instead, I believe there will be a steady growth of small businesses,” said Yang.
The reopening of the Dundee Dell is not only a sign of economic growth, but it’s a sign of inspiration for other local businesses who have struggled during the pandemic. The closing of the Dell last July was a big hit to the local community, especially. Blue Line Coffee employee Rex Shields said he saw the reaction to the closing from a lot of Blue Line’s regular customers.
“That changed to the excitement over it reopening,” said Shields.
Shields said that while he doesn’t expect the reopening to have a large impact on Blue Line’s business specifically, he does think it will be good for the neighborhood businesses.
“It would bring more people to the neighborhood and therefore boost business for us,” said Shields.
