The owners of The Velveteen Speakeasy and Studio One Yoga in downtown Stillwater are branching out into Lowertown St. Paul.

Husband/wife team Dariush and Sarah Moslemi have signed on to be one of the tenants in the former Station 4 building where they plan to open three different entities: a restaurant, speakeasy with live entertainment and a yoga studio.

It’s all part of the blueprint by developer Mike Sowers who has submitted a plan with the city to historically renovate the building at Fourth and Sibley streets into a multi-use space that includes 23 apartments and retail.

Dariush Moslemi said he has been interested in opening a space in Lowertown for quite some time, and this was the perfect opportunity.

“I’ve wanted to be in Lowertown since the Bulldog opened and I first went there. I remember thinking someday I wanted to be in this area,” said Moslemi, whose restaurant resume includes serving and bartending at Marx Fusion Bistro, The Green Room and Domaćin Wine bar in downtown Stillwater.

Seven years ago, he and his wife opened Studio One Yoga in downtown Stillwater. In August 2017, they rolled out The Velveteen (thevelveteenspeakeasy.com) — serving up craft cocktails, beer, wine, small plates and tapas — nearby.

For their Lowertown project, the couple plans to convert the former bar side of Station 4 into a restaurant called Bar Challa that will be open for lunch, happy hour and dinner. The menu will have Mediterranean and American influences, and there will be more than a dozen beers on tap.

“We’re going to have burgers, sandwiches, tacos, but it will be unique with Mediterranean-American flair,” Moslemi said. “We’re going to be using a lot of flavors from the regions of South Africa, northern Spain … . It will be a fusion.”

Downstairs, The Vaudeville speakeasy will spotlight Prohibition-era craft cocktails. Marcus Clark, who heads the cocktail program at The Velveteen Speakeasy, will be the head mixologist at both Bar Challa and The Vaudeville. The Vaudeville space will also host live entertainment, such as two- to three-piece jazz acts, swing bands and DJs, Moslemi said.

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Surdyk’s adds bar and eatery called Sidebar The couple also plans to open another outpost of their Studio One Yoga in the building. Studio One Yoga, known for its hot yoga and other classes, has locations in Stillwater, White Bear Lake and Roseville. The St. Paul Lowertown spot will be the fourth location.

Moslemi said they hope to be up and running this fall.