A new upscale lounge called Don’t Tell Liv is in the works for vacant space near a transit hub and officials could soon take a step towards bringing this new nightlife option to Downtown Jersey City.
Earlier this month, an application was made to transfer a plenary retail consumption liquor license to 138 Newark Avenue. The property’s ground floor is currently home to Oliva Market, which opened just about four years ago inside the former Tender Shoot Farm space.
The applicant seeking the move the license to the building is an entity called SPNM Corporation that will be trading as Don’t Tell Liv. Jersey Digs has learned that Don’t Tell Liv will be taking up residence on the second floor of the building, with the Oliva Market staying put.
Philadelphia-based Raymond Haldeman is working on the project and has teased a few images of the design on his Instagram page. The posts refer to Don’t Tell Liv as an “upscale lounge” and the previews include renderings of a full bar plus table seating.
The planned lounge overlooks the recently renovated Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza and is just about a block away from the Grove Street PATH station. Some of the imagery used by Don’t Tell Liv gives off speakeasy vibes, including an apparent logo that features a pair of hushed lips front and center.
Further details regarding Don’t Tell Liv are otherwise scarce and our efforts to contact ownership behind the lounge have thus far been unsuccessful. The earliest Jersey City’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board could hear the liquor license transfer application is during their upcoming December 20 meeting.