Lure4.2017

IN PERSON
here’s an ‘odd couple’ dynamic
between developers Blaine Thomas
and Randy Miller that could very
well be the secret ingredient in the success
of their development, 808 on Fifth.
Located in the heart of Coralville, just
north of the busy Coralville Strip and a few
blocks down from the city’s Center for the
Performing Arts, 808 on Fifth has grown
steadily since its first building opened in
2015, expanding to two buildings along
leafy Fifth Street, with two more under
construction and a fifth being planned.
There is now a waiting list for the
development’s 200-plus apartment units,
and its 40,000 square feet of retail space
has filled up quickly with Mr. Thomas’
friends and associates – each one of them
seemingly drawn by his magnetic presence,
frenetic pace, and vision of creating
a high-end yet welcoming development in
the heart of the city.
“I would like to call this a development
for everybody,” Mr. Thomas said over coffee
at Tip Top Cakes, one of the first commercial
tenants at 808. “We talk about price
points on menus before people come in.
We talk about the cost of a haircut. Is it
affordable to the masses?”
The development is now home to a
diverse cast of small businesses, including
a florist, a salon, a gym, a chiropractor and
realty offices. Each one has been recruited
and selected by Mr. Thomas for their
appeal and ability to complement the
growing Fifth Street corridor.
“If the commercial businesses in this
development don’t serve the community
and the residents upstairs, they aren’t coming,”
he said.
Indeed, Mr. Thomas prides himself on
his hands-on nature, saying that he knows
“every single person who moves in the
building,” and proving it in conversations
with tenants, during which he floats effortlessly
between questions about family to
furniture arrangements. He has set a high
bar for 808 on Fifth and expects a lot of its
businesses, but also works to ensure their
success, whether by helping with buildouts
or offering regular – often unvarnished
– feedback.
“We argued about everything in [Tip
Top Cakes] to make it the best it can be,” he
recalled. “Stuff like the sign being crooked
or tape on the windows, that just drives me
nuts. And I don’t own the business, but I
want it to be the best it can be.” > PAGE 38
Blaine Thomas
and Randy Miller
Coralville’s dynamic duo brings an urban
mindset to the center of the city
BY ADAM MOORE PHOTO BY SHUVA RAHIM
Blaine Thomas (left) and Randy Miller
stand outside their offices at 808 on Fifth.
LUREOF THE CITY 29