"Hopefully,
people will see us in Des Moines by next summer," he said.
"They will find Iowa Chicha Shack in Des Moines. It will be
great. It will be huge."
Ali,
senior in management, is planning to expand to Des Moines and eventually
Sioux City. The one question on a lot of peoples' minds is: When?
Ali
said he hasn't identified locations for the new bars, and has not
worked out financing for them.
"Already
people are asking me when I am going to open in Sioux City,"
Ali said. "People are calling Channel 9, the TV station in
Sioux City, asking, 'When is he going to open?'"
Ali
said there is no definite answer to that question. He said it is
a project he is working on, along with trying to graduate from Iowa
State next spring.
Ali
said that before he can open more locations he needs to make decisions,
such as how to lay out the interior of his store, how many rooms
it will have and whether to serve alcohol and food.
Although
the Chicha Shack in Ames doesn't serve liquor, Ali said people 21
and older can bring in their own alcohol, music and games.
Ali
said possibilities he is considering for the Des Moines location
include incorporating more Arabic traditions, such as belly dancing
and mats for customers to sit on.
Ali
credited part of the success of the hookah bar to its casual atmosphere.
Ashley
Merchant, freshman in liberal arts and sciences-open option, agreed.
"It's
a good place to come relax," Merchant said.
Merchant
said she goes to the hookah bar about once every other week with
friends.
Ali
said another reason his hookah bar has been successful is because
it is something different, and people are curious about it.
Courtney
Killion, sophomore in art and design, went to the hookah bar for
the first time last Thursday for just that reason.
"I
wanted to try it," she said. "I had never done it before."
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