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Grandpa's C Mart in Omaha's Dundee neighborhood has been more than just a grocery store and deli.

For the last 13 years, the store at 5018 Underwood Ave. has been more of a hangout for many nearby residents and neighborhood kids. Most of the regulars, some who stop in daily, come in not only to buy supplies but also to chat and catch up on city and neighborhood news. The kids go inside, buy a soda and candy bar and talk with friends at picnic tables outside the store.

But that all will end Sunday when owners Lou and Paula Hyland retire and close the doors for good.

Omaha City Councilman Pete Festersen, who represents the area, called Grandpa's a "staple" in Dundee and said he's sad to see it go.

Yet, there's excitement about the area and the property's future.

The Hylands have leased it to Willy Theisen, a restaurateur who heads Business Ventures LLC and owns Pitch Coal-Fire Pizzeria across the street from Grandpa's.

Contrary to rumors, the building will not be torn down to build a parking garage. Lou Hyland said the lease agreement calls for the store to operate as a business.

Theisen said he's working on creating another new-to-the-market restaurant concept like he did with Pitch, although he said it's premature to release details.

"I have a bunch of ideas, but it's still pretty fresh," he said.

He does plan for major improvements to the existing building and is hiring a few dozen people to run a new restaurant that will "enhance" Dundee and "deliver great food and great service."

"I love Dundee, and it's getting a much needed face-lift and it will be more pedestrian-friendly, which is what I like."

Theisen is referring to a $2.5 million-dollar proposal that would increase parking by 20 percent and improve sidewalks with brick pavers, benches and landscaping. If the plan is approved by the City Council and if the remaining $500,000 is raised, construction could start next year.

Festersen said the development plan maintains Dundee's "historic feel and character that everybody loves, but will update it."

He said he's already seen a lot of increased interest in the business district since the renovation plans have been announced.

"Grandpa's was a nice neighborhood amenity that will be missed, but this transition represents a great opportunity for something special and is evidence of our renovation project encouraging additional jobs and private investment," Festersen said. "It's a very exciting time for Dundee."

The Hylands are excited, too, and they won't be far away. They live in Dundee and plan to stay involved. They even hope to continue their annual pig roast tradition during Dundee Days, though in another location.

The Hylands, also known as "Grandpa" and "Grandma" to many, operated their store "like a large, extended family," even delivering groceries to some of the regulars who don't get around as easy, Lou Hyland said.

But it was time to move on.

"How many other grandma and grandpas do you know that are 75 and still working 16-hour days?" Paula Hyland said. "It's going to be really weird, but it will be good."

Lou Hyland said it's still hard to let go.

Hyland has been in the grocery industry for 60 years, starting when he was 14 at a Hinky Dinky where his uncle was the manager. Then he worked at a Benson grocery store where he was reunited with Paula, a junior high classmate, who often came into the store. They wed in 1957.

Hyland also worked for Grand Central Market near 35th and Leavenworth Streets for nearly three decades — buying the store when he was 25 and owning it for about 15 of those years. He had to close the store in the early 1990s when chain stores were proliferating, making it hard for an independent grocer to make it.

After that, Hyland cut meat at Bob's Food Mart near 10th and Bancroft Streets. Then, he opened Grandpa's C Mart (same initials as Grand Central Market) in Dundee.

"It's been a trip," Lou Hyland said. "And I haven't been out of a job since I started working."

But just like when he closed Grand Central Market, it's been hard for Grandpa's to compete. Unlike a lot of convenience stores, Grandpa's doesn't have gas pumps.

The Hylands have had to work long hours every day and on holidays to keep the store running.

"It's gone from proprietorship to megastore," he said of the industry. "I can't pay the payroll I paid six months ago."

While Paula Hyland had mostly been a-stay-at-home mother, raising the Hylands' five children and taking in more than 600 foster children over the years — 10 to 12 at a time — she started putting in long hours about five years ago.

One of the couple's daughters, Cyndi Mains, said having her parents run the business has always been tough because if she wanted to see them, she had to go to the store. That's why the Hyland children and even the grandchildren took advantage of working at the store over the years, she said.

Though Paula and Lou are both in their mid-70s, the couple are still caring for two adult handicapped children.

But that's the kind of people the Hylands are, Mains said. She said former employees and customers confided in her parents and loved being around them. Several former employees still stop by the store to say hello.

"My dad was a male role model for a lot of these guys," Mains said. "They called them grandma and grandpa for a reason."

After the store closes, the Hylands plan to travel and enjoy their time at home. But they'll also find time to have coffee with friends and longtime customers.

And they even plan to continue delivering groceries and running errands for a handful of regulars who can't get around anymore.

Everything left on the shelves Sunday will be donated to the First Lutheran Church Food Pantry in Omaha on Monday.

The Hylands never expect to retire from helping others.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1336, leia.mendoza@owh.com, twitter.com/LeiaMendoza