CORALVILLE — Throughout the fall of 2023, Mark Kaufman drove back and forth on First Avenue in Coralville while a loved one was undergoing treatment at a university hospital.
On that drive, he’d pass the building at 501 First Ave., home to the Iowa River Power Restaurant for 46 years until its abrupt closure in November 2023 when the then restaurant owner received an unexpected eviction notice.
“One day, this voice entered my head that somebody should buy that building and give it new life or breathe some life into it, or give it a fresh start,” Kaufman said. “And then, you know, within another drive-by, the little voice said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’ And to myself, and then I’m like, ‘Huh? Well, that might be fun.’”…