Bar Hopes to Spice Up Local Music Scene

The new bar is being built at 120 E. Franklin St., the former site of the X.O. South clothing store.

Employees say they hope to have the bar up and running in two or three weeks.

Manager Alex Louis, whose father, Mike Louis, owns the bar, said The Library will be different than other local bars because it's specifically designed as a venue for live music.

"We're trying to bring some live music to this side of Franklin Street," he said.

The Library will start hosting small, mostly local musical acts, Alex Louis said. "We're going to start off small and create a name for ourselves so people will want to come play here," he said.

Head bartender Andrew Tsui said the bar's management wants to offer live music because many local music venues are either on West Franklin Street or in Carrboro. "Hopefully, it's going to be a viable music scene in downtown Chapel Hill," he said.

The Library will have a small stage and public address system. Louis said the bar also will book some comedy acts and other performers.

"The Library will be the only bar on East Franklin with live music and a beautiful bar," Tsui said. "The bar will feature different kinds of music, depending on what day it is and the kind of atmosphere the staff is trying to create."

Tsui also said the bar will offer free food and said that although it features live music, it will not have a dance club atmosphere. "It's going to be a place you can dance, but it's not a dance club," he said.

The bar will offer a unique atmosphere, Tsui said. "It's going to be a very classic, oaken bar. It's going to be a very sexy bar," he said. "It's designed for bartenders, by bartenders."

And Alex Louis, a former Carolina Coffee Shop bartender, said the bartending service will be one of the best in town.

Louis said The Library will be a private club with an annual $5 membership fee. A membership will save members money on cover charges and allow them to bring guests.

The owners decided to go with a membership system because to obtain a liquor license, a bar must either sell food and be classified as a restaurant or be a private club, Louis said. But he said The Library does not plan to turn anyone away, except patrons under 21. "Everyone will be welcome," he said.

Tsui said the bar is not designed to cater specifically to any crowd. "Hopefully, we're going to have all kinds of people."

The Library will be a unique, classy bar, one of the few with live music, Tsui said. "This is pretty much what Franklin Street has been waiting for."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.