A Shooting, a Ballcap, and a Hardware Store

South Omaha...a community built on the backs of European immigrants -- people who came to the area in search of a better life.

Many of those folks worked at the stockyards -- in the era's robust meat packing industry. Americans' appetite for tasty Nebraska beef was incredibly important to the development and growth of Omaha (South Omaha, in particular).

The area has changed in the intervening years; the packing plants are gone. But a new immigrant population has helped redefine South Omaha, and the main business district located on 24th Street between F and Q Streets is just as vibrant as ever.

A few of the businesses feel like throwbacks to a bygone era -- a time when small mom-and-pop shops were the backbone of this nation's retail environment.

I happened to be in South Omaha today. Bridget and I were picking up my brother-in-law's ballcap (he'd left it at a catering venue just off 24th Street).

Traffic was crazy congested on our way to the venue. An officer-involved shooting happened mere blocks from our destination. The Omaha Police Department's helicopter (Able One) was swirling overhead, and streets in the area were closed off. 

Several streets closed off around 24-21 & P-R for Douglas County help an officer. Avoid area. #OPD pic.twitter.com/Xkz5FZKx0O

— Ofc. Ryan Miller (@OPDOfcMiller) September 6, 2016

We happened to drive by P&M Hardware on our errand. 

I'd never been to the store before. It is one of those "throwbacks" from another time, another place.

I thought it was fantastic to see the quaint, glassed-front hardware store nestled along 24th Street.

P&M has picked up snowblowers and lawnmowers we've owned over the years for repairs and maintenance. The staff on hand had vivid recollections of Bridget's relatives from back in the day.

The family-owned store has been around since 1900, survived a fire in 1988, and continues chugging along on today.

It is a well-apportioned and organized store. Clean and bright. They even have photos of the stockyards from back in the day. 

It's nice to see family businesses survive multiple generations, and continue to serve local communities in a personal, down-to-earth manner. 

As the world becomes one homogenized "mini mall," it is important to remember to support local businesses in the towns and cities we live in.

Read yesterday's post: I Can't Go On Forever, and I Don't Really Want to Try