In this episode of Thea’s Neighborhood Magic, Thea sits down with Jared Robins, founder and principal of In House Commercial, a full-service commercial real estate company based in Miami Beach.

Thea and Jared recall Collins Avenue, a once-thriving shopping district in Miami Beach that has struggled in recent years—as tenants have moved to other neighborhoods or shifted to online sales.

Stretching from Fifth to Thirteenth Streets, Collins Avenue was the heart of retail in Miami Beach during the mid-2000s. Today, its iconic art deco storefronts are largely empty, and “totally forgotten about,” according to Jared.

Jared, a Miami Beach native from a multi-generational family of real estate developers, shares his emotional connection to the neighborhood and his determination to restore its vibrancy.

Determined to revitalize the area, Jared and his team have rallied the majority of stakeholders in the Collins Avenue Fashion District to embrace change. They’ve listed multiple parcels for sale or lease, creating a powerful opportunity to transform the neighborhood.

Whether a single entity curates the district or multiple players step in to build a new revitalized tenant base, Collins Avenue now stands at a pivotal crossroads.

Thea shares some of the challenges she faced during the revitalization of Wynwood and Allapattah, and explains how, compared to these areas, Miami Beach is a walk in the park—a very beautiful park.

This episode also touches on the fragility of neighborhoods. As Thea puts it: “The ecosystem needs to be cared for constantly, because in our lifetime we’ve seen a neighborhood on the uptick, hit a high note and then this sharp decline and this conversation we are having here heralds the new day in the neighborhood.”

And together, Thea and Jared explore what makes a neighborhood stick, and how to build a welcoming community hub.

Jared asks Thea about the challenges she encountered in the early days of Wynwood and Allapattah. Miami Beach is a walk in the park - a very beautiful park.

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In this episode of Thea's Neighborhood Magic, Thea talks with Charles Foschini, Senior Managing Director at Berkadia, America’s largest privately held real estate investment bank. Charles has placed twenty-five billion dollars in capital placement across 27 states.

Charles shares his perspective from the financing side of neighborhood ignition. Thea and Charles discuss his significant experience providing the backbone to bold, pioneering projects, while facilitating opportunity and access to under-served neighborhoods. This episode speaks directly to all the pioneer entrepreneurs who would like insight on financing from a highly respected expert in the field.

Be sure to tune in next week, where Thea will continue to examine neighborhood magic through the prism of everyone involved.

Thea visits the unstoppable force that is Bernice Steinbaum in her spectacular home gallery in Coconut Grove.

Bernice is a legendary art dealer who moved her eponymous gallery The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery from New York City to the gateway of Wynwood in the year 2000. Bernice brought prestige and importance to the fledgling art district.

Building a two-story art gallery in what was then an overlooked part of Miami was no easy task. But as Bernice explains, as a native New Yorker, she was never phased. “If you build it, they'll come,” she told us.

Bernice shares her personal story with Thea, how her father died when she was six and her mother raised five children alone. Bernice discusses her triumphs, her dedication to her artists, and her will to succeed for her family.

Watch the full interview to hear Bernice’s compelling story, hear how she added her magic to Wynwood and hear an intimate conversation with a trailblazer.