Hookah hotspot undergoes changes

By EMILY GOINS

Huka Corner has received a makeover.

Now named Aromas Hookah Bar, the establishment, 811 W. Lincoln Highway, has undergone a complete renovation.

“We pretty much flipped the place upside down,” said Mohammed Labadi, co-owner of Aromas. “We changed the entire theme.”

Renovations include an additional level and a wider selection of hookahs and tobacco flavors.

The lower level of Aromas is darker and more exclusive. The upper level has a big-screen TV, movies, games and more lighting, although the darker area has proved to be more popular, Labadi said.

“We often get special requests to study, so then we turn the lights on higher,” Labadi said. He also said the hookah bar is now available to host private parties and conferences.

The previous level was downstairs and was not as spacious as the establishment proved to be after the renovations, Labadi said.

Before the renovations, patrons had only a few hookahs to choose from, whereas now, they have almost 40 different styles and sizes of hookahs, six different kinds of tobacco and more than 100 combined flavors, Labadi said.

Labadi, along with his partner and nephew, Abraham Labadi, bought the space in March 2007, started renovations over the summer and finished in October.

“I feel like I can call the place my own now,” he said.