Popping Up At Five One 8

Written By Danna Larson

This week we’re featuring the town of Red Oak, Iowa (pop. 5,415) and sharing some of the stories of rural revival happening here! With five retail stores opening up in the past year in and around their historic downtown square and a growing arts scene, plus some incredible historic home renovations, facade improvements, and efforts to welcome even more entrepreneurs, Red Oak is quickly becoming one of Iowa’s hottest destinations — and a great place to work, play, and live. Today’s guest blog post is from Phillip Lamb of the Five One 8.

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Hi, I am Phillip Lamb, and my wife Traci and I are owners of the Five One 8 and longtime residents of Red Oak, Iowa. Traci is a behavioral health nurse and I manage a manufacturing plant, but music and art have always been a part of our lives. We have always admired George Maher, who was a great community leader and had a passion for supporting his hometown. “Community service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy” was his motto. The Five One 8 is an attempt to combine George’s philosophy with art and music and bring something truly unique to our community.


Community service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy.

— George Maher

As an artist and musician, I have come to appreciate venues that support local artists. Traci and I started to explore the possibility of bringing a venue to Red Oak. Although we really wanted a building with a second floor so that we could incorporate a living space, 518 North 4th Street just seemed to be the building we were meant to save. After much demolition, construction, sweat, and tears, we have completed most of the first phase and are excited to be open to the public for “pop up” events. This fall we were excited to host the Southwest Iowa Art Tour and let the community see the progress we have made. We have hosted several other gatherings, and are looking forward to many events during the holiday season.

Although we originally envisioned an art gallery or artist’s cooperative, the fun we had renovating the building with our friends helped us to see that the building could be used in many different ways. As our vision changed, the name we had originally chosen – the Fountain Square Gallery – no longer seemed to fit. 

People ask about the name of the business and the reason for the 8 hanging off the “e”. Five One 8 is just for the address of the building which is 518 North 4th Street. The 8 is dangling from the “e” in our logo because of the condition the building was in when we decided to take it on as a project. The building was barely hanging on and needed saved, so I decided to commemorate that in the logo.

How did this all happen? Long hours by great friends who have become the Five One 8 tribe. We never could have achieved what we have without the help of Barry Lovig, Kari Bloom, Shawn Cooper, Shelle and Greg Brower, Karen and Dan Crouse, and Christel and Eric Nelson. We’ve also had great support from Daric O’Neal for design and code compliance, Roger Vial and the Downtown Urban Renewal committee, Woods Plumbing, Pat Smith Electric, John’s Heating & Cooling, and all of our great business neighbors here in Red Oak.

We are excited to move on with the building renovations. Next up after the holidays is completing the floor restoration and building a bar. In the coming months we will be taking on the construction of a catering kitchen. We are looking forward to initiating regular hours, full-time art displays, monthly music events, and more art classes. When the kitchen is complete, we will be able to offer some truly unique events to Red Oak including long table dinners, wine and beer paired meals, and Traci’s favorite, Sunday brunch.

We want to share our labor of love with our community. The space is available for private parties, business meetings, and other creative uses.

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Danna Larson
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Volunteers are the Real Stars of the Show at Red Oak Grand Theatre