DAY 5: From Vine to O, an enticing ethnic mix

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By BOB REEVES / Lincoln Journal Star

On the southwest corner of 27th and Vine streets stands the Imperial Palace, its scarlet-and-cream exterior with turned-up roof beams promising Chinese cuisine within.

A few blocks south, on the northeast corner of 27th and O streets, signs in the windows of El Rancho Authentic Mexican Restaurant announce caldo de res and pupusas. 

In between is probably the highest concentration of ethnic stores, restaurants and other businesses anywhere in Lincoln.

View Slideshow

Isah King gets a "bald fade" haircut from owner and barber James Muhammad at "Muhammad's Barber Shop" located on 27th and O streets. Muhammad has had his shop for more than 14 years and specializes in men's haircuts and beard trimming. He also cuts womens short style hair. (Michelle Le)

There’s CityMex Market Convenience Store, with spices, canned goods, magazines and pop from Mexico at 338 N. 27th St. Next door, Raduga European Market carries food from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Bulgaria. 

Across the street, Baba Bakery features “fresh from the oven Mediterranean bread” and Middle Eastern pastries.  One door north, Holyland Cuisine serves up falafel, biryani and shish kabab.

Next comes Alzahra Food Market, offering a wide selection of Middle Eastern foods, halal meats, clothing and gift items. 

But the Southeast Asian presence is most prominent along this stretch, with several groceries, restaurants and stores selling gifts, videos, clothing, art objects and even cell phones.

The Asian merchants attract a wide-ranging clientele, said Cathy Ruenprom, a member of the family that has operated Thai Oriental Market at 611 N. 27th St. for 20 years.

“Customers like it because they can come down 27th Street and hit several Asian stores in one afternoon,” she said. “We’re very competitive. That keeps the prices lower.” 

She said a number of families drive from Omaha to shop North 27th Street and nearby O Street because the Asian stores are all clustered in one area here.

The Oriental Market has produce you won’t find in general supermarkets, like baby bok choy, 15  kinds of mushrooms and melons up to 20 pounds for making soup.

“A lot of Americans are really into Asian cooking these days, and they’re hunting for the right ingredients,” Ruenprom said.

Raduga Market — Raduga is Russian for rainbow — serves many Eastern European immigrants, but also attracts people of all backgrounds who have discovered such delicacies as Russian chocolates, coffees and teas, caviar, smoked fish, sausages and cheeses, said Julia Demyanovskiy, whose family has run the store for three years. 

Besides ethnic businesses, the area between O and Vine is a potpourri of hair salons, nail salons, insurance agents, used car dealers and paycheck-advance stores.

The guy in a 7-foot-tall chicken suit “Clucks for Bucks” in front of Paycheck Advance on the northwest corner of 27th and O streets.

Close by, James Muhammad runs Muhammad’s Barbershop by day and provides music for parties and clubs as DJ Heavy Hitter by night. Muhammad, a local leader of the Nation of Islam, said the high-traffic corner is a great location for his shop.

“It’s close to downtown. People stop by to and from work. I have customers from all over the city.”

Over the years, he said, he has  seen a lot of changes for the better in the area, with a more interesting mix of businesses and fewer empty storefronts.

The North 27th Street Business Association has been working with adjacent neighborhood organizations to improve both the quality of businesses and the appearance of the street, said Tim Francis, a Realtor who lives in the area.

“There’s more investment, and property values are going up,” he said. “We’re becoming a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity.”

One especially bright spot is Sterling Village, a new brick strip mall on the west side of 27th between S and T streets.

Kris and Julie Sonderup, owners of Cycle Works and Moose’s Tooth at 27th and Vine, developed the mall on land formerly occupied by several run-down houses that were declared blighted.

 Sterling Village includes a Subway, the Wing Zone, Manpower, insurance and tax services, Vina Cellular Phones and Oriental Art, and recruiters for the Army, Navy, Marines and other military services, which used to be near Gateway. 

High traffic volume makes it a good location, said Army First Sgt. Devilyn Boyles.

“You want visibility,” he said, and it’s good to have representatives for several branches of the military together. “Our goal is not to compete but to provide quality service to every applicant, and this makes it easier to do that.”

Norma Fleisher, who grew up in the area, remembers when 27th Street was a quiet, mostly residential street with a lot less traffic. She moved away, but returned in recent years.

“I didn’t want to live in an all-white neighborhood; I wanted the diversity,” she said. “I’ve not been disappointed. It’s the most exciting neighborhood you could be in.” 

 Vicky Kovar, who lives right behind Sterling Village, said her family enjoys the ethnic mix of both neighborhood and businesses. Once she looked all over town for watercress and found it at an Asian store around the corner from their house.

She likes being close to downtown, where she works, and has served on the boards of the business association and the Hawley Neighborhood Association.

The North 27th Street area had some hard times in the past, when many stores were closed and properties were run-down, but “now things are really looking up,” said Ruth Johnson, a long-time member of the Hartley Neighborhood Association on the east side of 27th Street. 

At one time, more than half the houses in her neighborhood were rentals, but now the majority are owner-occupied, a sign of growing confidence in the area.

A key, said Julie Sonderup, is the commitment of both residents and business owners to improve the value and safety of their properties.

“Everything anybody can to do to make their property cleaner, neater and newer-looking helps.”

The area is attracting attention from shoppers, developers looking to invest in urban renewal and homeowners looking for a convenient, central place to live.

Said Julie Sonderup: “We’re no longer an overlooked part of town.”

Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or breeves@journalstar.com.