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Posted on Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 8 a.m.

The Ravens Club taking shape in ex-Full Moon bar in downtown Ann Arbor

By Paula Gardner

ravensclub2.jpg

Scott Behler, the chef at The Ravens Club on South Main Street in Ann Arbor, stains a piece of trim inside the club as he helps prepare for the grand opening by early March. The space is the former Full Moon.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

News that Old Town owner Chris Pawlicki planned to open a new bar-restaurant in the former Full Moon space on South Main Street generated a lot of enthusiasm last fall in Ann Arbor.

Less excited about Pawlicki’s plans to open Stella’s on Main was the owner of another bar-restaurant of a similar name in Perrysburg, Ohio.

The announcement prompted some communication among the bars’ respective lawyers, culminating in a new name for the Ann Arbor endeavor.

Now Pawlicki and his business partners have abandoned the initial name and plan on opening The Ravens Club by March.

Choosing the new name “took us a long time,” Pawlicki said. “At least three to four weeks.”

But the effort also avoided a potentially long and costly legal battle after the out-of-state owner challenged the original moniker.

“We just really liked the first name,” Pawlicki said. “And this is what we came up with.”

Calling the bar The Ravens Club still evokes images from decades ago, Pawlick said. And he thinks it’ll fit the new décor, which will resemble an establishment from the Prohibition Era.

The name change is just one sign of progress as the partnership moves forward on the effort to open the new bar. It’s been slower than planned, Pawlicki said, as they coordinated the work.

Contractors are starting interior construction this week, Pawlicki said, including building booths.

So far, the team has done some work on the kitchen and bathrooms. Light fixtures also are on order.

“There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done,” Pawlicki said.

But, he added, it’s going to end up with a unique look for the space.

“We’re trying to make it our own,” he said of the longtime Ann Arbor bar space that was operated by the late Andy Gulvezan.

ravensclub1.jpg

The bar-restaurant at 207 S. Main formerly housed the Full Moon.

Work on the space also includes building a wall between the new bar/restaurant and the former pool table area of the Full Moon, which was in 209 S. Main.

“We’ve sectioned off the other side,” Pawlicki said.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the new wall, the building next door remains available for lease.

The three floors total just under 7,000 square feet, with the rental rate set at $7,000 per month, according to the listing by Jim Chaconas of Colliers International.

Paula Gardner is Business News Director of AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2586 or by email. Sign up for the weekly Business Review newsletter, distributed every Thursday, here.

Comments

bedrog

Sat, Jan 8, 2011 : 5:02 p.m.

'Ravens club' unfortunately has a name that sounds alot like the 'ravenites social club'....the notorious new york hangout of the gambino/gotti crime family. I assume that's an innocent coincidence

Marshall Applewhite

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 1:09 p.m.

JimB, Although that might seem like a bargain, it is likely a triple net lease. The restaurant would have many more expenses on top of the standard rental rate.

JimB

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 11:46 a.m.

.....Also, why is the rent terms set at ony $1 per square foot?

JimB

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 11:45 a.m.

Why would a business located out of state have any objection or claim damages if the original name, Stella on Main, was used by this owner?

Phil Dokas

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 11:13 a.m.

The other article on the plans, http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/old-town-owner-will-start-new-bar-in-ex-full-moon-in-downtown-ann-arbor/, discusses how they plan to focus on local food like Grange, Arbor Brewing, and Jolly Pumpkin do which is a big plus in my book. From the picture in this article it looks like they've kept the lamps from the Full Moon. I hope that includes the standing lamp posts that used to be there. The Full Moon had a lot of awesome decor and those lamps were such a large part of that. Though that's about where my praise for the Full Moon ends. Except for that time Lightning Crashes by Live came on the stereo and the whole bar broke out into a drunken caterwauling of that song. That was a good time indeed.

Atticus F.

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 11:08 a.m.

I'm bummed they are loosing the pool tables. I can remember alot of fun times in my younger years when it was the One Eyed Moose.

Top Cat

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 9:29 a.m.

Is there any information available about the theme for this new joint and how it might be distinctive from so many other places on or near Main Street?