The Ravens Club, a jazz-focused cocktail bar at 207 S. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor, closed Tuesday, Sept. 29, after 15 years in business.

Owner Zach Beeson told MLive he plans to reopen the space within about a month under a new concept. He was remodeling on Sept. 29 with paint on his hands, even as the closing announcement went live on the bar's website and social media.

"We don't want to completely give up," Beeson told MLive. "The business model of The Ravens Club, even when we were full, we just couldn't make it work. So, we just need something different."

Beeson cited a worsening economy, a declining local hospitality market and a steep rent increase as the forces that made the Prohibition-era-themed bar unsustainable. According to a statement on The Ravens Club's website, the rent hike came about a year and a half ago and fundamentally changed the bar's financial picture. Beeson said he does not know what caused the increase. MLive reported the landlord did not respond to a request for comment.

Beeson, a 15-year Ann Arbor resident, said the bar was already losing money when he bought it. Even on packed nights, the math didn't work. Customers are spending less per visit, he said, and going out less often.

The closure fits a broader pattern. Downtown Home and Garden, Ten Thousand Villages and other longtime businesses closed in 2025. In 2026, MLive has documented closures including Tios Mexican Cafe and Tequila Bar, Ann Arbor Running Co., Ginger Deli, Buffalo Wild Wings and Molly's Cupcakes. Business owners across downtown have cited rising rent as a factor.

Beeson said the city is adding development and housing but is years behind schedule. Closing multiple downtown streets at once hasn't helped foot traffic, he added.

Patrons mourned the loss on social media. One wrote that The Ravens Club was where she and her partner fell in love, calling the closure a sign of being "priced out."

The replacement venue will keep jazz on Sundays, bluegrass on Mondays and dueling pianos. Beeson said he is working with bigger chefs to upgrade the food and will focus on cocktail programming. He described the new spot as laid back but high quality, with more live music.

Jeff Paquin and Chris Pawlicki opened The Ravens Club in 2011 with a Prohibition-era theme and a name that nodded to Edgar Allan Poe. The bar's closing statement acknowledged repeated changes to the menu, prices, hours and operations that kept the doors open but pulled the venue away from its original identity.

Beeson did not disclose a name or exact opening date for the replacement venue to MLive, saying he expects the relaunch within about a month. The bar's website tells patrons to keep an eye on the windows at 207 S. Main St.