Literary-inspired wine bar opening in former WineStyles space

• "I'm opening to create community and fellowship," Farrington tells Axios.

State of play: Farrington envisions the wine lounge as a book nook and cultural salon where people can engage in debate and conversations.

• He's curated 100 books published before 1940 to put on the bar's shelves.
• The space pays homage to The Inklings, a literary group including J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis that met at a pub in Oxford called The Eagle and Child, specifically in a private area called The Rabbit Room.
• Farrington worked at WineStyles Johnston before the owners retired.

Zoom in: The space will offer morning hours with coffee for early risers and students and then reopen in the afternoon for wine, he says.

• Expect Gothic and dark academia decor.

The menu: Farrington plans to curate wines from Europe, the Mediterranean, Mexico and South America. He also plans to source domestic wines from states less known for their wines, like Texas and New York.

• Foods include personal pizzas, his homemade ice cream and charcuterie.

What's next: The Rabbit Room is expected to open in 2026.