Urban Abbey

What Urban Abbey does

Urban Abbey is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as an integrated coffee shop, bookstore, and United Methodist church in downtown Omaha's Old Market district at 1026 Jackson Street. Founded in 2011 by Rev. Debra McKnight, the organization combines a fair trade coffee bar (donating 10% of sales to rotating local nonprofits), a retail bookstore featuring published devotionals authored by the founding pastor, and progressive, inclusive worship services that are streamed online via Facebook. The organization is independently affiliated with the Great Plains Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and has been financially self-sustaining since separating from First United Methodist Church of Omaha in 2015.

The business model relies on four revenue streams: coffee and food retail sales, book and merchandise sales (including online via Square), donations and tithes (which grew 33% from 2022-2024), and space rental for weddings, funerals, and partner events. Supplementary funding comes from new church start grants ($500,000 over the first five years) and ongoing campus ministry grants ($40,000-$85,000 annually) from the Nebraska/Great Plains Annual Conference. Technology infrastructure is minimal, consisting of Square for point-of-sale and e-commerce, Facebook for livestream, YouTube for on-demand reflections, and a Church Office Giving portal for donations. No proprietary platforms or AI capabilities exist.

Urban Abbey targets five primary customer segments: LGBTQ+ individuals and allies seeking affirming faith communities, college students at four partner universities (UNO, Creighton, College of St. Mary, Metropolitan Community College), families with children, downtown Omaha professionals and community members, and people seeking alternatives to traditional church. The organization operates with approximately five full-time staff and a network of 35+ nonprofit partnerships. As of 2024, the organization recorded $655,653 in revenue against $631,611 in expenses, with 32% weekly attendance growth and a $3,050,000 capital campaign ("A Place at the Table") underway to expand into an 8,640 sq ft facility at 1516 Jones Street.

Name

Urban Abbey

Legal name

Urban Abbey

Website

https://urbanabbeyomaha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Abbey is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an integrated coffee shop, bookstore, and progressive United Methodist church in downtown Omaha's Old Market, serving LGBTQ+ individuals, college students, young adults, families, and the broader Omaha community through worship, retail, and 35+ nonprofit partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization and Community Ministry

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coffee Shops, Cafés & Beverage Programs (EDALADAG)

Keywords

• Nonprofit coffee shop
• Community bookstore
• Progressive church services
• Faith-based ministry
• Campus ministry programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha, Nebraska

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Coffee Shop & Food Sales: Retail sales of coffee, tea, lattes, smoothies, and light food items. 10% of coffee bar sales donated to rotating community partners.
2. Book & Merchandise Sales: Bookstore sales including devotionals, books published by Rev. Debra McKnight, and UA merchandise through online shop and in-store.
3. Donations & Tithes: Voluntary donations from congregation and community members. Annual giving increased 33% since 2021. Capital campaign for building expansion at 1516 Jones Street.
4. Space Rentals: Revenue from renting space for weddings, funerals, partner events, celebrations, and nonprofit gatherings.
5. Grants & Conference Support: Start-up funding from Nebraska/Great Plains Annual Conference totaling $500,000 over first five years. Campus ministry grants of $40,000-$85,000 annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Abbey operates as a unified nonprofit coffee shop, bookstore, and United Methodist church in downtown Omaha's Old Market. It sells fair-trade coffee, beverages, and light food, retails books and devotionals (including works authored by its founding pastor), and delivers progressive inclusive worship services, spiritual formation programs, campus ministry, and youth/family ministry. Ten percent of coffee bar sales are donated to rotating local nonprofit partners.

Product overview

Urban Abbey is a nonprofit coffee shop, bookstore, and United Methodist church operating as a unified space in downtown Omaha's Old Market. The organization offers coffee and beverage services (fair trade, locally roasted), a retail bookstore with devotional products, and progressive worship services. Its product portfolio includes devotional books authored by Rev. Debra McKnight (Unsung Heroes, An Urban Abbey Guide to Hygge, Six Weeks With Mary Magdalene, Praying With The Lord's Prayer, The Feminine Divine, Bloom with Bravery, Creating a Rule of Life), campus ministry programs, spiritual formation offerings (Urban Abbey 101/201/301, Small Groups, Wesley Pub, Rule of Life Cohort, Soul Arts), youth and family ministry, and justice/advocacy service teams. The organization partners with over 30 local nonprofits, contributing 10% of coffee shop sales monthly to community causes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QueerFaith on Campus (QFoC): Campus ministry initiative focused on helping LGBTQ+ college students and allies integrate their faith identity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
• Urban Abbot

Products and services

• Coffee Shop and Beverage Services Fair-trade coffee shop offering locally roasted coffee, teas, lattes, smoothies, and specialty drinks; 10% of coffee bar sales are donated to rotating local nonprofit partners. Targeted at downtown Omaha visitors and the broader community.
• Bookstore Retail bookstore offering books for all ages including devotionals, spirituality titles, and children's literature, with partnerships on Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for expanded audiobook and book selections.
• Worship Services Progressive, inclusive United Methodist worship services held Sundays at 9:00 and 11:00 am, livestreamed online and in person. Features intergenerational, theologically progressive worship.
• QueerFaith on Campus

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $125,000 donated to local nonprofits since 2011
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OUTNebraskacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly community partner recipient receiving 10% of coffee bar sales. Co-organizes advocacy events and educational programming.
• 35+ Nonprofit PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 35 nonprofit partners across advocacy, arts, community, education, homelessness/poverty, immigration/legal, LGBTQ+ rights, and women/children/families categories. Partners receive donations and platform for raising awareness.
• Field Day DevelopmentcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject consultant facilitating building expansion at 1516 Jones Street. Manages construction process, budget, and scope. Conducting due diligence inspections.
• ParlayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity development partner contributing expertise in strategic planning and design for expansion project.
• University of Nebraska OmahacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry partnership. UA has presence through Vet's Coffee Talks at UNO Military-Connected Resource Center and student outreach.
• Creighton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry partnership with student groups and outreach programs.
• Metropolitan Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry partnership with student groups and outreach programs.
• College of St. MarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry partnership with student groups and outreach programs.
• ACLU of NebraskacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary social justice partner for advocacy and civil rights work.
• Strongly Worded LetterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by UA Operations Manager Gab Rima. Grassroots organizing and civic education partnership.
• Nebraska AppleseedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial justice partner for immigrant rights, Medicaid expansion, and policy advocacy.
• Women's Fund of OmahacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial justice partner for women and girls advocacy through research, grants, and policy change.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Blue Bottle Coffee: Premium specialty coffee company with cafes across major U.S. cities. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the specialty cafe category where Urban Abbey operates, though Urban Abbey's nonprofit/community mission is a clear differentiator.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with national footprint. Represents the scaled, brand-incumbent version of the specialty retail coffee business that Urban Abbey's cafe competes with at the neighborhood level.

Regional players

• Conscious Coffee: Nebraska-based fair-trade coffee roaster based in Lincoln that supplies cafes and grocers across the Midwest. Directly competes for the same ethical-consumer retail dollars in the Nebraska geography where Urban Abbey operates.

Direct peers

• Park Church Brooklyn: Progressive Christian community in Brooklyn that hosts worship in a coffee shop setting with an explicit focus on justice, hospitality, and serving neighbors. Closely parallels Urban Abbey's cafe-as-sanctuary model.
• The Humble Walk Lutheran Church: Progressive ELCA congregation in Minneapolis that operates a coffee shop within its community space, combining fair-trade retail with progressive Christian community — a near structural twin of Urban Abbey in a different denomination.
• Urban Village Church: Progressive, LGBTQ+ affirming Christian community in New York City that meets in a cafe-style setting with intentional hospitality and activist ministry. Closest theological and operational model to Urban Abbey.
• Red Emma's Coffeehouse & Bookstore: Worker-cooperative bookstore, coffeehouse, and community space in Baltimore with a strong social justice and progressive politics orientation. Operates the same hybrid retail/community-activism model as Urban Abbey and serves as the most structurally analogous peer.
• Mosaic Church: Multi-site progressive church that intentionally meets in coffee shops, breweries, and community spaces rather than traditional sanctuaries. Shares Urban Abbey's emphasis on hybrid third-place worship and inclusive theology.

Others

• Equal Exchange: Worker-owned fair-trade coffee cooperative that is already a beverage supplier to Urban Abbey. Comparable as a values-aligned coffee sourcing partner and potential content/mission peer in the fair-trade retail space.
• BookPeople: Independent community bookstore in Austin that combines retail bookselling with community events and a small cafe. Comparable as a values-aligned independent bookstore operator, with the addition of a cafe element that parallels Urban Abbey's hybrid.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/UrbanAbbeyOmaha
• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanAbbeyOmaha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-abbey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Abbey