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The Bevy in Birdtown has opened in the old Winchester in Lakewood. The new club plans to do live music, a patio a full-on menu.

(John Petkovic/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Winchester has done its last shot. The Lakewood club has reopened as the Bevy in Birdtown.

Winchester owner Jim Mileti, a born-again Christian, closed the Lakewood club in May because he couldn't serve God and alcohol, The Plain Dealer reported. New owners Beth Scebbi and Patty Lim are embracing serving different audiences.

Talking with them at the bar, it was obvious that the club is a work in progress – one that involves experimenting and trying different things. The front area of the Bevy, 12112 Madison Ave., will include a new full-on restaurant. There will also be a patio and live music in the back.

That's the general picture. They're still tinkering and vow to remain flexible with the details.

"We're open to booking different kinds of music," said Scebbi. "It could be jazz or blues or classic rock or even music for teens and families -- you know, there aren't many places where families or young kids can go."

Bevy in Birdtown owner Beth Scebbi and Patty Lim are installing a kitchen as part of a transformation of the front area of the former Winchester space into a full-on restaurant. The bar will remain intact and has increased its cocktail offerings. The Bevy will continue hosting live music, once a renovation of the back concert space is completed.

Scebbi and Lim weren't planning on getting into the bar business. But the owners of general contracting company New Century Builders started imagining what they would do with such a space when they heard that Mileti was putting the Winchester on the market because he wanted out of the bar business.

"I started getting excited thinking about all the things we could do," said Lim. "Like infused cocktails or the menu or the decor.

The just-opened Bevy is doing both now and expects to ramp up by November. The lighting in the bar area is already done – a unique repurposing of wine bottles.

"We did those ourselves," said Lim. "We also added hooks under the bar so women can hang their purses and USB ports so people could charge their phones – we came up with ideas based on what we see or think when we've gone into other places."

The purse hooks are no doubt an idea most bar owners wouldn't come up with – because most bar owners are men.

"The one thing for sure that women notice more than men is the bathroom," said Lim. "And we spent a long time on our bathrooms."

"We spent a lot of time cleaning everything," added Scebbi. "We could've opened when we bought the place, but we spent weeks cleaning and fixing things to make it look nice."

"Now it's on to the rest," adds Lim. "We want to try a lot of things here."