Phuel is more than a new bar — it’s a reflection of a family.

Stan Rivera, manager of Phuel, works with his brother and dad on their family businesses. Together they own MoJazz, Phuel and 212 Main St. Pub & Grill. They previously owned Santa Fe Expresso at 116 Welch Ave., where Phuel is now located.

The Rivera family is originally from Peru. They moved to New York from Peru for three years before moving to Oskaloosa.

The family’s first business in Ames was the Santa Fe coffee shop. Rivera says he considers himself a coffee expert, and his family plans to sometime in the future open another coffee shop, but he has always wanted to have a bar on Welch Avenue.

“It’s always been in my plans for me to be on Welch, operating this type of bar with this type of atmosphere,” Rivera says.

Rivera chose to keep Santa Fe’s atmosphere. He liked the Southwest feel of the tiles on the floor and the yellow and dark oranges on the walls. The mural of jazz clubs made by Jeen H. Stark, an ISU architecture alumna brought everything in the bar together.

“I put together the colors and wood work, stuff you don’t see around Ames. I did simple things to the bar, but the differences really show,” Rivera says.

Rivera questioned getting curtains for the windows but he thought it would ruin the effect Phuel has right now. Phuel is exposed with its big windows. He says it’s great for people watching, and it is in the heart of the night life of Welch Avenue.

Rivera’s personality comes out in Phuel — from the design to the music. After living in New York for a couple of years, he became very interested in the music scene. He is constantly looking for the hottest trends for all his family’s bars.

The eclectic music from New York inspires Rivera to play a wide variety of music each night — from jazz to techno. Rivera says the music really makes the atmosphere of Phuel. You get a good feeling from the music he plays, and as the evening goes on, he begins to play music more people know and cranks up the volume, he says.

“It’s a place that you wouldn’t expect to see in Campustown,” says Roderick Parayno, senior in industrial engineering. “The ambiance is amazing; it’s a place I can hang out and won’t be bombarded with stupid rap songs.”

Ryan Van Roekel, junior in advertising, says Phuel has some unique elements.

“I think it’s really chill; it’s a good addition to Ames,” he says. “It’s upper class but has a good mix of a crazier vibe. It’s not a Paddy’s or a Mickey’s.”

Overall, Rivera says he is constantly challenging himself to do something different in Ames. “My goal is to entertain and bring something new that you haven’t seen before, and that’s what Phuel does,” Rivera says.

Although Rivera wants to bring something new to Ames, he wants everyone to feel welcome and have a great experience at Phuel.

“We’re just a fun bar,” he says. “Everyone can come here and have a good time.”

In the end, it all comes down to the name. Phuel is different, Rivera says, not only its spelling, but in the bar’s atmosphere.

“Phuel means starting something and having it last as long as it can,” he says. “I want it to last forever.”