Walk #9: Distracted from the Bemis Bag Company Building by Cool Stuff in the Old Market

Address: 11th & Jones Streets

Information: Bemis Bag Company Building

Lunch: Bento Box #2

Destination Review: I’m pretty familiar with the Bemis because I took art classes there back in the 80s. As an artist, I know it is a very cool place.

There wasn’t a whole lot for me to see there, as they were closed, other than an installation involving farm equipment on the front porch.

So I got very distracted on this walk by all the cool things to see in the Old Market these days. For instance, the Hollywood Candy Store in the Fairmont Dairy Building. They’ve turned it into a great retro place full of childhood memories. There are lots of great displays of old stuff in cabinets…

…and lots of great old tin signs.

Stop that snickering in the back!

There was also a great old metal stamping machine that you can still use to make a souvenir coin with your own message. I used it to make the official Omaha Walks souvenir coin.

Childhood memories were brought back by boxes of animal crackers. I used to get one as a reward for behaving myself in the supermarket.

And a Peanuts lunchbox resembles one I used to have as a kid.

They sold old-fashioned soda pop in glass bottles—all the old brands you remember.

Across the street from the candy store is a really cool store that sells metal art from Mexico. Oh, I love this stuff!

A highlight was a bug band which reminded me of the bird orchestra at the Forevertron in Wisconsin.

So this was a great walk, but not exactly because of the Bemis.

The Walk: I walked all over the place, as described above. The weather was hot, so I worked up a sweat.

The Lunch: I had lunch at an outside table by the Hollywood Candy Store. They have part of an old orange Volkswagen there that looks like one my father used to own. Could this be Polly?

The blueberries and raspberries were kind of blah. Ranch dressing improved the radishes and broccoli considerably. And I really like egg salad, so that was OK. I couldn’t find dark chocolate covered peanuts, so I substituted dark chocolate covered cashews, which I found in the bulk area at Hy-Vee. They were yummy.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Broccoli: I got some for 97¢ at Fresh Thyme, and got a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate, making it 72¢

Radishes: 88¢ a bunch at Hy-Vee

Art Project: Embellished Frame