It’s time to pull out those dance shoes and dress shirts.

Dance floors and VIP rooms are typical in bigger cities, but Ames bar-goers are starting to get a taste of the trendy clubs.

Lately, patrons have been given more options. Reign, 2522 Chamberlain St., is leading the way in the dance club trend. In addition, the bar formerly known as Big Shots Nightclub and Chasers Sportsbar is scheduled to open later this spring at 2401 Chamberlain St.

“We’re more of a contemporary setting,” says Dusty Schnack, general manager of Reign. “High end is a bad word, but we’re maybe a little more of a classy establishment.”

Megan Jarred, senior in apparel merchandising, says she has noticed differences, not just in the atmosphere of Reign, but in the people who go there.

“People [at Reign] are dressed nicer than at the other bars,” she says.

Abi Fangman, senior in psychology and a cocktail waitress at Reign, says the club reminds her of bars she’s been to in Chicago.

“It’s a lot more city-oriented,” she says. “We definitely don’t have the type of bar Reign is in Ames.”

The big-city feel is something that bars in Iowa City have attempted already.

Jarad Kilburg, manager of The Summit Restaurant and Bar in Iowa City, says his nightclub tries to achieve a trendier atmosphere, which he says is different than the bars already established in Ames.

“[Iowa City] has more of a Chicago feel than a college town feel,” he says. “I think a Chicago-style nightclub would do very well in Ames.”

Both Reign and Big Shots are testing that theory. Scott Davis, owner of Big Shots, says the first floor of his new bar will still have a sports bar atmosphere, but the top two levels will be devoted to dancing and will be more upscale than it was before.

“I think that there’s room for another dance club in Ames if it is run the right way,” he says.

Carin Skowronsky, an ISU alumna, says there was a need for a dance club in Campustown.

“None of the good bars [in Ames] are simply dance clubs,” she says.

Mike Adams, manager of Welch Avenue Station, 207 Welch Ave., says the new dance clubs will probably affect other Campustown bars despite their differences.

“Every time you open another bar, it’s another slice of the pie,” he says.

Schnack, however, doesn’t believe Reign will negatively affect other bars.

“Ultimately, the more bars you put in, the more people you attract to the area,” he says. “All in all, we all help each other out.”

Bobby Reaburn, senior in finance, says that Reign’s differences will help out other bars, because he thinks that bar-goers go to Reign later in the night.

“I don’t think it will be competition for most bars because it’s a different type of bar,” he says. “We usually go to Reign after we’ve been to other bars.”

However, Reaburn says that Reign might have a tough time attracting people who are regulars at the other Campustown bars.

“It will be popular among certain people,” he says. “But a lot [of people] are stuck on their ways.”

Adams says dance clubs typically attract a different kind of crowd.

“A dance club attracts a younger, more energetic crowd than I attract,” he says.

Fangman says Reign is not just for people who want to dance. She says the variety of booths and corners allow for large groups of friends to enjoy themselves, as well as providing opportunities for private conversations.

“The dance floor gets the girls to come in,” she says. “The TVs and the girls that are there attract the guys.”

Despite the new clubs, Adams doesn’t think a dance club will change the Ames bar scene.

“It’s just bar owners trying to take advantage of the scene, not trying to shape the scene,” he says.

However, Schnack says he believes the bar scene in Ames is starting to change, and he’s hoping the trend moves toward a dance environment.

“Hopefully people just enjoy the atmosphere,” he says.

Reaburn says only time and drink specials will be able to determine if both of the dance clubs will be successful in Ames.

“They’re already trying to compete with other bars,” he says. “It will be hard for both of them to survive.”

Overall, Fangman says the new dance clubs will have a positive impact on the Ames bar scene.

“I think it’s giving more options,” Fangman says. “Everyone has their favorite bars, but it’s giving a lot more choices, which is nice.”