Unpublicized and unexpected, Arcadia’s soft open still brought in numerous customers ready to see the nearly 6-year old Ames restaurant in its new Campustown location.

Welch Avenue is the new home to Arcadia and is a short walking distance from campus. The restaurant has seen more space, new food and other changes in its new location.

“I really like that for the most part, [baking] makes people happier,” Liz Jeffrey, co-owner of Arcadia, said. “They’re kind of in a happy place when they come in. There are so many different types of businesses where the costumers aren’t necessarily friendly or they don’t want to be there.”

Liz and Ryan Jeffrey founded Arcadia in March of 2011. Ryan brewed coffee while Liz made pastries. They pride themselves on only using local ingredients to create their handcrafted meals.

The new location is accompanied by a larger menu and a more diverse restaurant as a whole. Wine and cocktails are new additions to the menu. As Liz put it, the restaurant is bringing together several different styles.

The baking they brought to the old location will continue at this one. She is excited to get back to baking, her real passion.

On the day of the soft opening, in particular, it was the chocolate pudding that was calling her name, saying, “today that is my favorite.”

The new location will see more college students than ever before. The convenience of being so close to campus made an impression on some of the students who attended the soft opening.

“Sure the other location was right across from campus, but right on Welch is the perfect spot for it,” Eric Johnson, a university student dining at Arcadia, said.

A lot of those present were previous costumers at Arcadia. Many were able to compare and contrast the restaurant before and after the transition. 

“It’s still kind of a café, but I like that there’s more space,” Carly Loosevelt, a university student at Arcadia, said. “It’s more like an open floor plan suited to dining.” 

Liz continues to find passion in the wor she does owning her own business even almost six years after it first began. 

“When I run my own business it’s a lot of long hours,” she said. “It’s being up at 4 and home at midnight, but I feel like my successes are my own and my failures are my own as well.”

They will continue normal operations from this point on, adding more and more to the menu. The grand opening should be announced in about four to six weeks.