Tonight my beloved neighborhood hardware store, Frager’s, erupted in flames and burned for more than six hours (and counting). The brave DC response teams will be on the scene until the smoke clears and no “hot spots” remain. Click here to see the photos of the aftermath. 

Frager’s is an old fashioned neighborhood hardware, paint, and plant store, locally owned since 1920. Residents of Capitol Hill consider Frager’s an institution. Although small in comparison to big chain hardware stores, there is nothing you can’t find at Frager’s. And the staff knows every square inch of the place, literally. They can find you a small screw for a curtain rod, adhesive outdoor spray foam, a miniature junction box that is only used in very old row houses, purple sage and french tarragon, a license plate holder for your car, a fireplace screen, and a stainless steel mesh strainer for an old bathtub, all within a few sideways steps through the narrow aisles (based on personal experience). 

Link to photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/katskiphoto/sets/72157633959449491/