Chapman's Eat Market owners BJ Lieberman and Bronwyn Haines are gearing up to open a jazz and cocktail lounge in the Short North.

The husband and wife behind the German Village restaurant recognized as one of the top 50 restaurants in America are expected to open the Ginger Rabbit lounge this spring at 17 Buttles Ave.

Ginger Rabbit will actually be Haines' lounge. The pair were originally pitched the space before the pandemic when they were considering opening a bar, but COVID-19 put that idea on the back burner. Eventually, however, they began to revisit the idea.

They were inspired one night recently by the end of the 2016 film La La Land, where the main character opens a jazz club. They decided upon a similar vibe — a dark, moody, post-prohibition era lounge that's intimate as well as timeless.

A musician relative of Haines will handle bookings for the lounge, which likely will include acts booked to play a few hours each night.

Ginger Rabbit will not have a kitchen, so it will focus on a menu that features snacks and especially cocktails, including about a dozen classics.

"We're gonna dive in pretty deep into the well of some old classics that maybe aren't so popular anymore or are from different centuries," said Lieberman. He expects the menu to also include a lot of gin and sherry-based drinks — "things with an elegance to them" — a small, procured wine list and a handful of local beers.

The food menu will include items that are easily prepared or pre-made, including cheese plates and bread from local makers, gourmet nuts and olives, and canned seafood conservas, which are a staple in Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. Eventually, the lounge may offer charcuterie as well.

Lieberman sees the lounge being open six days a week, with the exception of Sundays, and hours consisting of the early to the late evening, closing before midnight as Lieberman has a belief that "nothing good happens at a bar" that late into the night.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@TaijuanNichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chapman's Eat Market owners to open Ginger Rabbit at 17 Buttles Ave.