After nearly a year of delays, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews’ sister storefront, Prologue Used and Rare Books, has received a go-ahead from Chapel Hill to begin its opening process, owner Jaime Sanchez said.
Epilogue has become a popular coffee and study spot on Franklin Street since its soft opening in November 2019. Located in the suite next door, Prologue will more than double the coffee shop's current capacity, adding 2,200 square feet.
Prologue, which will include a meeting space, rare book collections and an area for supporting local artists, is expected to cost $24,000. Sanchez said he would hire at least four new staff members for the space.
He added that an announcement on an official opening date should be up on the Prologue social media sites in the next few weeks.
Sanchez first applied for the extension in June 2021. Prologue was ready to open in August, but the permits to do so were not approved by the Chapel Hill Building and Development Services until this month.
When Epilogue opened in 2019, the time between its application and permit approval was only about three months.
Sanchez said, along with being busy during the holiday season, the main reason for the delay was inefficient communication between the business and the Town.
“The jargon that is spoken with permitting is not necessarily something everybody would be versed in, so it quickly made it difficult to communicate with permitting,” he said.
Robert Key, commercial plan reviewer for Chapel Hill Building and Development Services, said this was mainly because the Prologue project was not as simple as opening the original shop.