With bright graffiti on the walls, low lighting and a live DJ every night they are open, Club Blow is not like many Ames bars. And that’s how owner Ish Dika likes it. 

“I feel like it’s a little more of a city-type club brought to a smaller town,” Dika said. He opened Club Blow in the former location of Capone’s last weekend, along with his business partner, Matt Smith. Both have previously lived in New York, and Dika formerly owned a club in Austin, Texas. 

“I feel like a lot of places [in Ames] are more hang-out spots,” Dika said. He described Club Blow as more upbeat. The bar has techno music by DJ Sigma each night, lasers, blacklights and strobes, and their inaugural weekend featured a highlighter party. The bar will have nightly specials advertised on their Facebook page. 

The paint on the wall was done in a matter of days by Dika’s sister, a student in the College of Design, along with other students. They plan to continue to add to it, covering the walls and floor. 

And the distinctive name? It came from Dika and his brother, just driving around in Texas. 

“It was honestly kind of random,” Dika said. “It just kind of came up from nowhere.”