“Dear PoP,

I just saw that U Wine & Beer is boarded up. I was there last weekend like 4 times and I didn’t see any sign that it would be closed for any reason, so this is a bit of a shock. Can you or any readers shed any light on this?”

Early Friday morning there was a fire tweeted by @dcfireems:

“2 Alarm fire – 1351 U St NW- U Wine & Beer – fire under control – no inj – significant damage”

I stopped by this weekend to see how they were doing (the owners are truly among the nicest people you will ever meet.) Fortunately, while there was clearly a lot of damage it looks a lot worse than it really is. All of the refrigerators were still working and a lot of the cleanup will be cosmetic. They expect the store to be closed for approximately 2-3 weeks while the repairs are made.

In the meantime, starting Tuesday at 4pm, there will be a fire sale of discounted beer and wine. You’ll see signs out front of 1351 U St, NW that will guide you to the alley around back where you’ll see dozens of bottles of beer and wine discounted that are just a bit dirty but are perfectly sealed.

UPDATE: Just got word U Wine and Beer denied ABRA permit for their fire sale – so no sale today. Owners are very sorry.

UPDATE2: Sale starts Wed. July 13th 4pm!

The owners also wanted to express their gratitude for all the kindness from residents of the U Street neighborhood.