Though many may not know it, Ames has a growing number of young entrepreneurs and businesses opening up on every corner. Some students may have noticed the slight changes in the storefronts of Welch Avenue and Lincoln Way, as well as on Chamberlain Street. These hot spots, which offer a range of fashion and flavor that would appeal to any type of student, are just around the corner, and with the opening of Urban Attic on Saturday, the fashion scene has just gotten a little bigger.

Urban Attic,

2408 Chamberlain St.

Urban Attic, the long-awaited urban fashion palace, has finally made its debut. With the lyrical stylings of Eminem booming in the background, this new storefront is adding an urban flair to Campustown. The owner and young entrepreneur, Jason Smolka, offers a new selection of apparel and merchandise to Ames residents.

“Our grand opening was Saturday, Oct. 12,” says Antonio McFadden, manager. Urban Attic definitely started off on the right foot, offering a 15 percent discount to customers who came to the opening. Discounts definitely help with the prices, which can range from $25 to $130.

“We make discounts available. There’s always some kind of money-saver offered,” says store clerk Edgar del Pilar.

The guys laugh over the story of how they came up with a name for their store.

“Well, originally we were going to be set up in an upper-level store, so we literally would’ve been in an attic, sort of,” del Pilar says.

“Business is good,” he says. However, the brains of the operation at Urban Attic still have some plans on the horizon.

“As far as getting more exposure, there are a lot of things we’re doing. We’re starting an Internet site, we’ll be selling music CDs, we’re going to have a wider variety of apparel for women also, and eventually, we’ll have shoes and kid’s apparel,” McFadden says.

As of now, the store is decorated with the fashions of FUBU, Johnny Blaze, Rocawear, FJ 560, Playboy, Drunkyn Munky and will be getting shipments of Ecko and Baby Phat.

“We get new clothes in every week,” McFadden says.

*Zushy, 2406 Lincoln Way

*Zushy, a fashion platform with hipster style for young women, can be spotted by the bright purple facade on Lincoln Way. It is run by self-proclaimed “it girl” 24-year-old Liza Kindred. Kindred says she decided to start her business because she was tired of the uniform appeal of typical mall shops. She wanted to bring to Ames the fashionable edge she’s come to love.

“We’ve been open for about two months now and business is great,” Kindred says. Just recently, the young entrepreneur has teamed up with the creative minds of John Solarz, a DJ at the Boheme Bistro, 2900 West St., and Adam Ferry, his graphic designing cohort to design custom *Zushy T-shirts. Their partnership was formed when Kindred spotted the two young men putting up advertisements for the Boheme Bistro’s Thursday techno nights.

“I just saw them putting up posters one day and the idea of collaborating came to me,” Kindred says. “It’s a really neat partnership since *Zushy is a small business and Boheme is a small business, so it’s a win-win situation. We’re helping to promote each other, like big businesses tend to do.”

“They do an underground techno music program at the Boheme on Thursday nights, which is really fun,” Kindred says.

With music playing in the background, similar to that which can be heard at the Boheme on Thursday nights, it makes sense for the two businesses to join forces. The line of limited edition T-shirts are being produced rapidly to get things going.

“There will be different styles out every other week,” Kindred says. “The shirts are all hand-made and the new design will be out Friday.”

This week’s design has a single turntable on the front of black and gray tees, and is available for both men and women.

“So many people have helped us since we opened and before, so we’d like to give back and show our appreciation,” Kindred says.

Daydreams, 2408 Lincoln Way

Daydreams could be considered punk-rock skateboarding heaven. This snug little shop is located just down the block from *Zushy, but represents a different style and flavor among its selection in merchandise.

“We’ve got the skateboard shop, T-shirts, posters, and incense,” says store clerk Steve Fergusen. “Since the skateboard shop has opened, business has been good,”

This shop is a bit different from other stores since it’s been around for 10 years now. To the rock riffs of electric guitars, students can come into Daydreams and find almost anything, even that tapestry of Jim Morrison they’ve always wanted.

“Well, the tapestries are pretty cool — they’re $28 apiece, but they are well worth it,” Fergusen says.

The tapestries are quite eye-catching, draped across the banister of the stairway leading to the skateboard shop on the upper level.

“We just have a lot of stuff to look at,” Fergusen says. “We also have a lot of sales, so the prices change frequently. T-shirts can range from $6 to $30, depending on the style.”

Outrageous, 122 Welch Ave.

Outrageous, a hidden shop on the lower corner next to Sips, is self-explanatory. The trendy shop, which you must walk downstairs to get to, is well worth the venture.

“Every time I come in here, there’s always something new,” says Olivia Lattin, freshman in animal ecology. Students such as Lattin have noticed the small new shop in town, which opened the same day as *Zushy. Rocking to the sounds of music ranging from J. Lo to Five for Fighting, Outrageous has a sleek and outrageously stylish atmosphere, which offers equally stylish clothing. What has begun to stand out the most is the bulk of costumes available.

“The costumes are really cute,” says store clerk Krista Olsen. “We have a variety of things to offer. We have Halloween costumes, shoes and men’s apparel. We also have the largest selection of body jewelry in Ames.”

The store manager, Kristen Monroe, says the store is a spin-off from a sister shop in Marshalltown. The idea to open a shop in Ames was the idea of the store owner, Jay Paglia, who also owns The Apparel Outlet in Marshalltown.

“The variety in our selection and the ever-changing styles are most shocking to people,” Monroe says.

The brands at the store offered are changed frequently because the store gets new merchandise every other week.

“Brands vary because I rotate inventory,” Monroe says. “At the moment, we have Tommy, Mudd, Ecko, Old Navy, Phat Farm, DKNY, 33 degrees and much, much more.”

The store has other business endeavors on the rise.

Soon they will be launching an ad campaign with young people modeling the merchandise that can be found on their hangers.

The clothes will likely remind people of the stylings of the many celebrities hanging on the walls of this shop.

Keeping up with the trends and times are important at Outrageous, and there will be more to come, Monroe says.

“By tomorrow, none of this stuff will be here,” Monroe says. “You’re always going to see something new.”