Adding to its Hy-Vee locations, Starbucks Coffee Company is continuing to immerse itself in the Ames community – starting off with opening its first stand-alone coffee shop on Lincoln Way.

“Things are going great,” said Bob Wiederholt, manager of the new Starbucks location, 327 Lincoln Way.

The location, which took the place of the old Wendy’s restaurant, is completely renovated and has plenty of seating to accommodate its customers.

“[We] renovated this location to include a new roof, new windows [and] new doors,” Wiederholt said. “[We] took it down to the bare walls.”

This included stripping the old location entirely and only keeping a few of the bricks from the Wendy’s main frame. These renovations allow Starbucks to seat up to 30 people.

“Every coffee shop offers a different atmosphere, and we have a new design [unlike] other Starbucks,” Wiederholt said.

The new Starbucks offers its customers specially made beverages while providing the same basic menu customers would see at other Starbucks locations.

“It’s a different environment here, but the basic menu is the same as the Hy-Vee locations,” Wiederholt said.

Starbucks will eventually be a T-Mobile hot spot and features warm colors, comfy seating and multiple outlets, but local coffee businesses remain optimistic about the situation.

When asked if the new Starbucks location will affect his business, John Reed, owner and manager at Stomping Grounds, 303 Welch Ave. # 101, replied promptly, “No, I don’t think so.”

So the question arises as to whether this new stand-alone Starbucks will affect all other coffee shops in the community. With plenty of serene coffee getaways within a 10-mile radius, Starbucks has some tough competition.

“We haven’t seen it affect us yet,” said Grant Shipman, manager of Taraccino Coffee, 539 Lincoln Way.

“I think Starbucks does things well, but the customers that come here come for a specific taste of coffee and really enjoy it.”

The other thing that separates Starbucks from other coffee shops in the area is that it’s a nationwide chain.

“We have a lot of people who support independent businesses,” said Jennifer Malone, manager at Cafe Diem, 229 Main St.

Malone said she doesn’t see any long-term effects on Cafe Diem’s business.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we experienced a dip at the beginning,” Malone said. “[But] in the long run it won’t have an effect on us.”

Although only time will tell, the prominence of Starbucks and its dispersion into the community will hopefully keep the small businesses striving.

“The reason we built this store was customer demand,” Wiederholt said.