A nightclub is opening at Peculiar Rabbit site in Plaza Midwood. Here’s what we know
.jpg "Eden nightclub is opening at 1212 Pecan Ave. in the former Peculiar Rabbit spot in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood.")
The Van Gogh-inspired mural of a rabbit drinking beer at the former Peculiar Rabbit home in Plaza Midwood is gone. It’s been painted over in white during renovations to make way for a new nightclub venue.
Eden expects to open in early March at 1212 Pecan Ave. in Charlotte.
The club’s theme plays off the name as “a beautiful place like paradise,” owner Markus Hunter told The Charlotte Observer. He formerly owned Recess Charlotte, a dog-friendly bar and restaurant, about 2 miles away on Seigle Avenue.
After Peculiar Rabbit bar and grill closed three years ago, a local developer’s proposal to rezone the site for retail and condos or apartments fizzled following neighbors’ opposition to the plan.
Hunter said he was drawn to the location in Plaza Midwood because of the foot traffic and building layout.
The two-story, 8,000-square-foot building also has a rooftop terrace and ground-floor patio. It has a capacity for about 450 people, Hunter said.
“It will be a great spot for young professionals and people who live in Plaza Midwood to make it their hangout and feel like it’s their spot,” Hunter said.
What to expect at Eden
The nightclub will serve small plates and have an extensive drink menu, including cotton candy martinis and Eden-themed cocktails.
On Sundays, there will be a “boozy brunch,” Hunter said, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The nightclub also will take reservations for a table seating up to 20 people.
Music will be a mix of live music and DJ entertainment. There will be a band every Thursday from 6-10 p.m., Hunter said.
Eden hours will be 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.
Down the rabbit hole
In 2019, the Peculiar Rabbit property was listed for sale for $850,000.
In 2020, Peculiar Rabbit closed. The bar and restaurant opened in 2012 and was known for its rooftop skyline views and the rabbit mural.
Owner Rob Nixon cited several reasons for closing including competition and labor costs. Nixon also owns Smooth Monkey smoothies and acai bowls, The Rabbit Hole music venue and Jackalope Jacks Sports Bar on the same site.
In 2021, the half-acre, 15,000-square-foot site sold to Sinacori Builders.
The firm wanted to rezone the site under the city’s new transit-oriented development ordinance, and create a mixed-use retail and residential development. But the plan was met with opposition from neighboring businesses in Plaza Midwood, who told City Council at a public hearing in 2021 that it would be “disastrous.”
They said approving residences would lead to noise complaints, block the city skyline and would diminish the community’s identity.
The rezoning was pulled following the meeting, and the property has not been sold, Rusty Gibbs, broker with commercial real estate The Nichols Company told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday.