1 Cent - Hinky Dinky Omaha, Nebraska

The Hinky Dinky chain of grocery stores was a major player in Nebraska from the 1930s well into the 1980s. Founded by Moritz and Fanny Newman with a single store in north Omaha, the company showed significant growth when sons Jules, Henry, and Albert became involved. When searching for a name to bring their stores under one banner, the owners borrowed from an old song, “Hinky Dinky Parlez-vous.” The catchy name was meant to remind customers of the notorious “Piggly Wiggly” stores and was so successful towards that end that Piggy Wiggly once brought a patent lawsuit. At its peak, Hinky Dinky controlled 30% of the Omaha market and had eighteen stores in Omaha, three in Lincoln, four in Des Moines, and fifteen in smaller towns and surrounding states. The Newman family eventually sold out and after years of declining sales, primarily under the management of a Dallas based firm, the remaining stores were purchased by Nash Finch and changed over to the Sun Mart banner