MissMolly_DC RT @ArgonautDC: day 2. dichotomies and sharing the love. http://bit.ly/duOY4F

capitolhilldc RT @ArgonautDC: day 2. dichotomies and sharing the love. http://bit.ly/duOY4F #Hst #CapitolHill

mccanner the outporing of positivity and love for @argonautdc is doing loads to restore my faith in people and this city: http://tinyurl.com/2dkb9ja

DMan1440 So sad to hear abt the fire at @ArgonautDC! Hope they recover soon, that’s a cool place. #HSt

nicholeaileen Please try to make it out on June 30 for the @argonautdc benefit @rocknrollhotel: http://bit.ly/bkuuUC

MiFeis RT @nicholeaileen Please try to make it out on June 30 for the @argonautdc benefit @rocknrollhotel: http://bit.ly/bkuuUC http://mifeis.com

nadabrain Hooray! RT @ArgonautDC: our first fundraiser! http://bit.ly/biA8nA

nicholeaileen @anaxolotl @argonautdc they’re opening an online store soon, or maybe you could donate a robot or painting for the silent auction?

dontbellthecat AWWW! RT @ArgonautDC Checked in on our beloved Argo this evening (first time with toddler). Ara said, “Momma! It’s broken! We fix it later.”

metrocurean After last night’s fire at the Argonaut: RT @ArgonautDC our first fundraiser! http://bit.ly/biA8nA

GirlMeetsFood RT @ArgonautDC: our first fundraiser! http://bit.ly/biA8nA // $20 including all booze? I’m there!

PSUWashington Hoping the folks at @ArgonautDC are keeping their heads up after the fire. I spent my 25th bday there. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

nicholeaileen And we’re all going to help! RT @ArgonautDC: Checked in on beloved Argo (1st time w/toddler). Ara said “Momma! It’s broken! We fix it later”

jennagiesta DC peeps, represent for @argonautdc! http://argonaut.typepad.com/argonaut-dc/2010/06/our-first-fundraiser.html

dawesk A @FrozenTropics post says @argonautdc wants to upgrade to a tavern license while recovering from a fire: GIVE IT TO THEM

kgdc1 @HstreetDC ok ok I will! The @ArgonautDC is where I met my last ex-boyfriend! Gotta support! Srsly!

britishpat A bit late here, but sorry to hear about the fire at the @ArgonautDC – hope its back up and running soon. Fundraiser Wed night @ R&R hotel.

annephelps Tweeps: MT @HstreetDC: How YOU can help @ArgonautDC NOW by supporting a category change in their liquor license. http://bit.ly/3lcEYt #HSt

NearNortheastDC Tweeps: MT @HstreetDC: How YOU can help @ArgonautDC NOW by supporting a category change in their liquor license. http://bit.ly/3lcEYt #HSt

katehaggerty so sad for @ArgonautDC… can’t wait to buy Argo Ts for @JIIVIIVIYH and myself to support the rebuild

JuliAnotE @ArgonautDC The FC Cats are behind you! We’ll be at the fundraiser, but let us know what else we can do. Amelia, we miss you!

aemzee The @ArgonautDC caught fire but will rise again!!! http://bit.ly/d8CpaJ

tomcatx2 RT @ArgonautDC: Anybody want to be in a feel-good story for WJLA (Channel 8) abt outpouring of community support? Please come to Argo at 5.

KellyCous RT @ArgonautDC: Anybody want to be in a feel-good story for WJLA abt outpouring of community support for Argo? Come to Argo at 5.

komurphy I emailed my support. RT @HstreetDC How YOU can help @ArgonautDC by supporting a change in their liquor license. http://bit.ly/3lcEYt

terabithia4 If you want to help support the rebuilding of the @ArgonautDC, the first fundraiser is June 30: http://bit.ly/a67RJW #photos #food #HStreet

whitneyshefte Sorry to hear about the fire at @ArgonautDC – here’s their blog post about it: http://bit.ly/cuYkrA

komurphy My parents even emailed ABC Board about @ArgonautDC needing a temporary license change. And they live in NY. MY dad loves the fish tacos.

TktAlt_DC The fab folks @rocknrollhotel throw a bash to raise money for fire-damaged @ArgonautDC on June 30 http://ow.ly/22eGq

DC_Concerts We love that the @rocknrollhotel is raising money for @ArgonautDC (struck by a fire recently): http://ow.ly/22eJb

amybaroch Me too. RT @DC_Concerts: We love that the @rocknrollhotel is raising money for @ArgonautDC (struck by a fire recently): http://ow.ly/22eJb

benjaminshannon RT @TktAlt_DC: The fab folks @rocknrollhotel throw a bash to raise money for fire-damaged venue @ArgonautDC on June 30 http://ow.ly/22eCx

CitysearchDC Help re-build @ArgonautDC! Benefit at @rocknrollhotel Wed, 6/30 5-11pm. $20, complimentary cocktails: http://bit.ly/cs6h0r

showconcerts DC_Concerts: We love that the @rocknrollhotel is raising money for @ArgonautDC (struck by a fire recently): http://url4.eu/4vGSb

showevents showconcerts: DC_Concerts: We love that the @rocknrollhotel is raising money for @ArgonautDC (struck by a fire http://url4.eu/4vHTo

Courtney Rae RawlsJune 21 at 1:26pm

Keeping you guys in my thoughts! I’m sorry about the fire and hope things will normalize for you quickly. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help personally or at Argo.

Marina PadakisHi Shaaren–so sorry to hear about the fire. My dad is in the food service equipment business, he may be able to help connect you with sources for repalcement kitchen/bar equipment. Email me and I’ll give you contact info. xx Marina

Kristine FriesenJust read about the fire. So sorry! It must be rough. I hope the reconstruction goes quickly!!

Mandy SpainHoly Cow! How heartbreaking. I’m glad to see y’all have such great support. I’m keeping you guys in my thoughts. Xxxooo

Stacy Blumenthal LeffSo sorry to hear about the fire– we look forward to coming back when you re-open. And we are happy to buy glassware and/or t-shirts to support!

Acadia Wallace RoessnerSo sorry to hear about the fire! Please let us know how we can help! We are going to the fundraiser at Rock & Roll Hotel next week.

Kristina Smith HowardShaaren, I am so sorry to hear about this fire! You and your family are in my thoughts.

Jessica LemberWhat an AMAZING amount of support you’re getting from your community! We’re sending you “speedy recovery” vibes from Philly.

Dear Shaaren and Scott,

We just heard about the fire at Argo (from Judy, who sent a note from Europe. Apparently Jenny heard from a friend in DC and then sent the info to Judy) – and tracked down the (extremely well-written) blog you wrote about it. We are so sorry – what a tough break for both of you. We’re sending our support and hope for a speedy settlement and return to business. Is there anything we can do to help you in the meantime?

I will share your blog with the rest of the family too.

With much love,

Mom and Dad

—

Shaaren,

Jen sent word of the Argonaut fire, and I found your blog description and photos. Such a sad occasion. But lucky too that there were no injuries and that insurance will help you rebuild. The support of your friends and neighbors was very heartening. You and Scott have some tough times ahead, but I’m sure the Argonaut will rise again with your efforts.

Thinking of you and hoping you are managing ok.

Judy

—

Hi!

I’m a friend of Lisa’s. I love eating at the Argonaut so I am very sorry about the fire.

Try the Brass Knob for replacements for your lighting. It’s the best place I can think of locally. They have strange eclectic stuff so you may want to watch/visit them periodically to find what you want.

http://www.thebrassknob.com/index.html

The other place is out of Pennsylvania, but they come to Eastern Market’s flea market on Sundays. Olde Good Things

http://www.ogtstore.com/

Good luck!

—

Hello,

This is Matthew K. Jena (now, my fiance heh) and I used to go Argonaut like crazy before. I was heartbroken when I found out about the fire. So, I am wondering if you would like me to come over and take some photos around the building. I thought that it would make a cool photo project of Argonaut before and after. Let me know. Again, I am really sorry about the fire.

Matt

—

I know you are ridiculously busy, and have had offers from a million and one people to help with Argo… so I just wanted to let you know that we’re here for YOU, too. If YOU or SCOTT need anything NOT Argo related during this insane time… let me know. (Of course Argo related too, but that’s a given).

Whether it’s a grocery store trip, a ride to anywhere, supplies, computer help, someone to stop by and listen to you vent to help keep your sanity… we’re here for ya.

I’d be happy to make any runs for anything… food, soap, paper towels, whatever… just call. Or text. Or email

I know you already have help with Ara from people she sees more often, but that’s always an offer from us, too… I just wish I knew what you guys needed!

Thinkin of ya…

Carrie

—

To Shaaren, Scott and Ara,

That looks like quite a mess, and I’m sorry for the clean-up and the rest of the mess you’ll have to go through, but I’m glad there were no injuries and you’ll be able to reopen soon.

Let me know when the t-shirts are ready.;)

Take care. I won’t ask about travel plans because it’s clear you can’t make any until you know more. But we’ll be happy to see you whenever you can make it.

Take care,

Nancy

—

June 21, 2010

Mr. Fred Moosally, Director

Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration

1250 U Street NW

Washington , DC 20009

Dear Mr. Moosally:

I am writing to express my support for a temporary conversion of the “CR” liquor license which is issued to The Argonaut (1433 H Street, NE) to a “CT” license because Sunday’s fire rendered it impossible for the Argonaut to serve cooked food until their kitchen can be rebuilt.

The Argonaut was the first restaurant to open in our area and is considered by many residents to be the neighborhood gathering spot. The Argonaut’s owners Scott Magnuson and Shaaren Pine are both residents of my SMD, and are deeply invested in improving H Street NEand the surrounding community. In addition, they have been extremely diligent with upholding terms of their VA with ANC 6A.

Because I am many other residents in my SMD would like to see the Argonaut quickly get back on its feet in a matter that minimizes the financial hardship on the owners and waitstaff, I strongly urge the ABC Board to temporarily grant a conversion of their “CR” license to a “CT” license. This will allow the Argonaut to stay in business during the reconstruction process.

While such a request would normally go through the ANC’s committee process, the urgency of this matter does not provide the necessary time to do so. I hope the ABC board agrees that this is a reasonable request necessitated by circumstances outside of the owners control and as such will expeditiously approve this request to allow the Argonaut to rebuild as soon as possible.

Best regards,

Drew Ronneberg

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner 6A02

—

Hey Shaaren and Scott, Wow, what a story. Glad you are all safe and healthy. It’s a tough blow, but bounce back even stronger. Out thoughts are with you. Sam, Eve, Nick, and Ali.

—

Shaaren and Scott,

I’ll be at the fundraiser of course, but let me know what else I can do. Everyone I’ve told has just gasped in horror. I’m thinking of you guys all the time and I know you’ll be back better than ever. xoxoxoxxo miss you

—

Hey Scott, Shaaren and Ara,

We drove past the Argo on Sun and couldn’t figure out what was going on, and then heard about the fire yesterday. Our hearts go out to you and all your staff members – please let us know what we can do to help out. We don’t have any fancy DC contacts, but we are willing to help with blood, sweat and tears (or, you know, babysitting) if you need it. Don’t hesitate to ask!

Robyn, James, and Lauren (your Canadian neighbors across the street)

—

Scott and Shaaren and Argonaut friends – we are stunned and so sorry for the devastating fire that just happened to you.

But we are so proud of you all picking yourselves up and trying to think of the positives. Your tenacity and ability to look forward are some of the qualities that make you such a success. We wish we could be at the first fundraiser, but are leaving for MN that day for a family reunion. My mom is not doing well so I will be spending much of the summer there taking care of her. We wish you luck and hope this to be the first of many of your creative ideas!! (and of course you are in our prayers). We love you all! Debbie,Ed, Lindy and Robb

—

Hi Scott and family,

I don’t think we’ve ever officially met, but I live with my wife and two little kids on … and we are regulars at the Argonaut. It’s pretty much the only place we go when we go out. Anyway, we’re so bummed to hear about the fire and wanted to know if there’s anything we can help with. We definitely want to see you guys back in business as soon as possible and I’m sure you want the same. Seriously, let me know if we can help in any way.

best,

Joe

—

Dear Scott, Shaaren & Ara ,

I’m so sorry for your loss! I read about Sunday’s fire and I would like to do a story on the incredible outpouring of support from the community. I tried calling the number listed on your website and reached a busy signal. The story would air on the 10 p.m. NewsChannel 8 newscast tonight (Tuesday, June 22).

I would like to meet with you at the Argonaut, interview you about the restaurant’s role in the community etc.

Please give me a call as soon as possible. My number is … .

Thank you and I hope to meet you soon!

—

Ms. Jenkins:

I fully support a temporary change in the Argonaut’s license from restaurant to tavern. They have been a good citizen to our neighborhood and deserve any help we can give them. It appears that this is one of the things that can help and I am 100% behind it!

Pamela

—

Hey Scott, Shaaren & Ara,

Just wanted to say that I am so so very sorry about the fire. Wishing you tons of strength and good will.

When my partner Natalie and I moved here 4 years ago from Austin, TX,I struggled with the adjustment to a “buttoned-up” type of city. Ithink I whined for the first 6 months about what I perceived as a lack of cool, non-annoying-hipster, casual, divey types of bars andrestaurants that you can find almost on every corner in Austin. A friend recommended the Argo and from the first visit, we were totally hooked. And it was even more lucky you were in our NE neighborhood! Every out-of-town guest we have ever had has been treated to dinner and booty beer at your restaurant and we always recommend it to other transplants looking for a place with great food, good beer and a chill vibe.

So again, wishing you tons of strength and patience as you go through this process of recovery and rebuilding. Please let us know if we can help in anyway. We’ll be at the fundraiser and will definitely do our part to drink (more than!) our share of booty once you’re up and running again!

Very best regards,

Rebecca (& Natalie)

—

Dear Ms Jenkins and ABC Board,

We are writing in firm support of the Argonaut restaurant’s application for temporary permission to function as a tavern to enable this neighborhood- friendly institution to continue business operations as it undergoes repairs. The Argonaut is one of very few restaurants within walking distance of our home and serves as an island of stability – and provider of good food and drink – to the community.

We urge you to look favorably upon their temporary tavern status to enable them to complete repairs and remain a key component of the rebirth of the H Street corridor.

Thank you in advance for your support in this matter which matters so dearly to the local community.

Sincerely,

Marsha and Elliott

—

Neighbors,

As you are now aware, the Argonaut suffered a temporary setback with the fire on Sunday. I believe the Argonaut and the efforts of their ownership have helped lead the way with the resurrection of H Street. They were one of the first on H to provide our neighborhood a place to enjoy a decent meal. They have proven to be good neighbors and an asset to our community.

The Argonaut is in need of opening as soon as possible to generate enough income to pay the bills (which don’t stop for hardship). AS they are licensed to be a restaurant, they are required to sell a certain quantity of food to maintain their liquor license. Since their kitchen was damaged in the fire it will be impossible for them to meet the food requirement for an unknown period of time while the process works to restore the kitchen. In the meantime, they are requesting permission from the Alcohol Beverage Control Board to change their liquor license from restaurant a tavern.

The goal of the Argonaut ownership is to function as a tavern and hopefully be able to grill food on an outdoor grill on the patio. Upon conclusion of the renovation, they will return to a fully functioning restaurant and return their license to a restaurant license.

I fully support this temporary change and I request that neighbors who wish to help email the ABC board to let them know you support this temporary change. The Board is meeting this Wednesday, June 23rd.

Please emails to the ABC Board care of: Martha Jenkins, Martha.Jenkins@ dc.gov.

I will be asking all of my fellow commissioners to join me in this request and I will be sending my own letter of support.

Thank you,

Bill Schultheiss
Commissioner ANC6A06

—

Bill:

I love the Argonaut… they have been a good neighbor.

They have my full support. We need more business’s like them.

Travis

—

Hey Shaaren!

I am so sorry, I just heard about the fire. I don’t know many of the details but I wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and your family and hope all of you are okay. I don’t know if there is anything we can do to help from Guatemala, but if there is anything you can think of, don’t hesitate to ask.

Hugs,

Kim

—

So I have apparently been living under a rock and just heard about the fire. I’m so glad everyone is okay, but I can’t believe what you guys are going through! I have class on Wed but will come to the benefit at R&R afterwards. Please let me know if there is anything I can do! I love you guys!

-Maya

—

Shaaren,

I was so sorry to see your FB post about the fire at the Argonaut. I’m relieved that the damage was limited to the kitchen, but I know that it’s still a devastating loss.

Scott’s (your?) comments about the Argo family was very poignant. We feel connected to it too. I am happy to have celebrated your new baby and our friend Joe’s marriage there. Please let me know what we can do.

You’re in our thoughts. I’m sending you positive energy!

Much love,

Sarah

—

I don’t even know where to start – so many good things to report!

Today, Scott met with thefire restoration people (that the insurance company hired to do our clean-up) so they could figure out the estimate. I have no idea what the estimate was since they give it directly to the insurance company. Hooray! It’s a huuuuge thing we don’t have to worry about anymore.

The restoration company will have two teams working. One will start on the upstairs on Saturday (which is why we’re spending today getting everything out). I believe they’ll also be working on the dining room, eventually. They know a salvage place that has flooring similar to ours (which was originally from a barn in Pennsylvania) and will clean and restore everything that needs it. They should be able to get the windows in relatively soon – and that’ll be really nice. It’s really dark in there, obviously, so it’s hard to see (or remember) what the damage is.

The second team won’t be able to start working until the investigations are completed – we’re hoping that it’ll be next week sometime. (Assuming our other insurance company does their investigation quickly.) They’ll gut everything – including the bar. I’m guessing that with the ever-increasing badness from the freezer/fridge situation, more stuff will need to be removed than previously thought. (We still have to figure out how permitting works for this, but we’re trying to do everything exactly the way it’s supposed to be done.)

If anybody wants to come help tomorrow (around 10), please do so. We need to get more stuff out and clean all the things that are going into the Pod.

We’re also hearing that our insurance companies are gearing up for a legal battle (not against us).

We also have hot and cold water to the women’s & upstairs bathrooms AND to the upstairs bar!

And, if all the stars align, we could be up and running sooner than a month. Fingers crossed.

So, again, lots of good news.

Some more thank yous:

• An enormous thank you to Cheryl for dealing with all the permit stuff! And being such a supporter!
• Thanks to Rasheed’s (next door) for letting us use some of their electricity for the cleaning today.
• Thanks to Gary (Capitol Hill Drain Services) for getting our water up and running.
• Thanks to Luis and Marco for building us a beautiful new door that blocks off the dining room (but still makes the women’s bathroom accessible).
• Thanks to Alan from Electrical Networks for all his help so far.
• Thanks to Noris for running to Restaurant Depot to pick up stuff for tonight and Antoine for cooking so much!
• And thanks to Robert and Scott from Belfor (the restoration company) for all that they’ll do over the upcoming weeks and months.

I’m not sure why yesterday was so hard. I mean, aside from the fact that the situation is hard. Both Scott and I just felt so…undone, I guess. I know I had knots in my stomach and kept having to remember to breathe. I guess it’s just painful to see our Argo languishing and not be able to do anything about it. Starting to clean the upstairs today really helped.

Plus, we’re at The Argonaut 4-5 times a week! Often those days change, except for Wednesdays. We’re always there on Wednesdays (barring the couple times Ara was sick, or the vacation we took last summer). So, every Wednesday for more than two years we’ve gone to the Argonaut for Family Night. In the beginning, we’d play Pub Quiz, too (well, to be fair, mostly we gave the smart people on our team support vs. actually contributing), but we were there.

Except for yesterday.

We spent it at home, just the three of us. And it was nice to just relax for a moment.

Tonight, all of our immediate Argo Family (current staff) is coming over. It was supposed to be low-key, but apparently, Antoine has gone a little overboard with food prep, and we’re in for a feast.

We. Can’t. Wait.

Thanks, everybody.

—

day 6. progress. and waiting.

Today was our first full day of work. It felt really good to be moving forward. We finished removing everything from the upstairs, inventoried and tossed all the damaged items (our dumpster is already filled up!), poured out all the upstairs open booze, and sweat. A lot. Scott reports that the last of the tables and chairs are being washed and put into the Pod as we speak.

Belfor (the restoration company) did their inspection and gave us an outline for their Two-Phase demo and rebuild. The two variables that could hold up progress are getting new windows and all the ongoing investigations…

They’ll start cleaning tomorrow morning and the best part? The investigators say that Belfor is allowed to remove all the rotting food! I know I keep mentioning it, but Food + 6 days + 90 degree heat = no good whatsoever. No good. I do not envy that job but am very appreciative that it’s going to happen.

Next week will be devoted to cleaning, spray seal (not sure what that is), painting, fixing the buckling floors and the roof. And hopefully windows (or a window solution). Then the dining room.

The investigators (who are rapidly multiplying, by the way: The DC Fire Department, both our insurance companies, the electric company, and our alarm company) won’t be done until sometime after the 2nd, so after that’s done(!), they can start on the kitchen.

This morning I added a couple more shots of the kitchen to our Flickr account. As I wrote before – the badge is on the left of the page.

What else?

Great time last night. So nice to see everybody! Since we work together (during the evenings) all of us being together at the same time for a social event is pretty special.

I had Keren print out some copies of the blog so that everybody (who doesn’t have a computer or access to the internet) could see how amazing you all have been. The Fire Inspector came to do a couple more interviews with people, too.

Today’s thank yous:

• Thanks to Chris, Jackson, John (patron), Debbie for working yesterday.
• Thanks to Melvin, Miguel, John (patron), John (host), for working today. John (host), Miguel and Melvin worked all day in the hot sun (and in the hot Argonaut!).
• Thanks to Kevin, Granetta and Shayla for watching Ara this morning while I helped with the cleaning.
• Thanks to Antoine for making such great food yesterday. And to everybody for coming!
• Thanks to Keren for printing out the blog posts.
• Thanks to the Fire Inspector for taking our picture after the interviews.

Thanks, everyone. Here’s most of us last night (we had some people who came late and missed the photo, and some others who couldn’t make it…)

And, some more love:

theHillisHome Great news! @ArgonautDC has been granted a 90 day tavern license to keep operating during repairs to the kitchen (via H Street Great Street)

BYT H.st take note RT @ArgonautDC: Want to be in a feel-good story for WJLA-tv abt community support for Argo? If so, plz come to Argo @ 5.

corisuemorris RT @theHillisHome: Great news! @ArgonautDC has been granted a 90 day tavern license to keep operating during repairs to the kitchen

dcwoodyNxt Wed @rocknrollhotelfundraiser for @ArgonautDC, in recovery mode after the fire. Pls support them if you can! http://bit.ly/biA8nA

komurphy Looks like @argonautdc got their temporary license change!! http://bit.ly/aHCiHg

komurphy Sipping a Dark and Stormie & thinking of the @argonautdc http://twitgoo.com/14wdfk

crossbonesdjI’m helping with a fundrasier for @argonautdc – If you would be willing to donate something for a raffle, please contact me ASAP.

bcbolinArgo sitch total buzzkill. Tasty drink tho RT @komurphy: Sipping a Dark and Stormie & thinking of the @argonautdc http://twitgoo.com/14wdfk

terabithia4 My @ArgonautDC tweet made it into their blog post today about the clean-up. Awesome! http://bit.ly/aArcpo They are making progress.

HstreetDC Thanks for emails to ABRA to support @ArgonautDC‘s temporary license change. They’re good to go! via ANC6a, HSGS http://bit.ly/dmictv #HSt

NearNortheastDC Great neighborhood news: ABRA grants @ArgonautDC‘s temp license change. They’re good to go! HT @HstreetDC http://bit.ly/dmictv #HSt

theHillisHome Reading all the supportive messages and tweets on @argonautdc website makes us so proud of our neighborhood! www.argonaut.typepad.com

rollcall.@ArgonautDC Weekend Fire Brings Revival Efforts http://bit.ly/9PEEd5

BYTEatDrink The weekly food news round up is up. Consider it my love note to @ArgonautDC, with news http://bit.ly/cfreKW

crossbonesdj @ArgonautDC Sorry I can’t help (at my day job), but hope you someone can lend a hand!

hoopernatural @ArgonautDC Sorry couldn’t lend a hand today. Downtown. G.

bogrosemary Have I mentioned that my first date dinner w @imgoph was here? We <3 you! RT @ArgonautDC day 5. things are looking up. http://bit.ly/9XOsoT

sherrieindc this is awesome! can’t wait till that back up & running! rt @ArgonautDC day 5. things are looking up. http://bit.ly/9XOsoT

becca_nh RT @capitolhilldc Wanna help @ArgonautDC? @RockNRollHotelhosting fundraiser on 6/30. $20, ALL PROCEEDS go to Argonaut http://bit.ly/aTPNcX

nicholeaileen @ArgonautDC I’m out of town, but if you need any help next week or after, let me know!

carrieann @ArgonautDC if I wasn’t at work, I’d be there. Hope you get a lot done!!

First I would like to say that we are very sorry for what happened on Sunday night. My name is Paul … and I am the owner of Vinoteca, a wine bar located on U Street. I am familiar with Argonaut and feel like we operate a lot like you, family orientated. We are currently looking to fill some open positions, and would like to try to help your staff who are out of work due to the fire. If you want to share this information with them, we would like to help out as much as possible. If anybody is interested they can contact …

Good Luck, and if we can be of any other help please let us know.

Paul C

Vinoteca Wine Bar & Bistro

Hey Argonaut Peoples.

My name is Sean and i’ve been coming to the argonaut since you guys opened. i was once of those artists that used to come in on monday nights and do drawings there, if you remember us.

my wife and i i love the place and we were heart broken to hear of your fire.

I’m a decorative painter by trade and would love to offer you guys free painting help if and when you need it.

I can donate some paint that i have in stock too.

i understand that paint is prolly one of the last things you’re thinking about and i wish you guys the best.

let me know if you can use my help.

Sean H

Dear Shaaren and Scott,

PD and I were shocked and saddened to hear about the fire at the Argonaut. I feel a great loss as I was just getting to know your place – and I feel a great sense of hope from the outpouring of community spirit that you will rebuild and rebound. We will be at the fundraiser next Wednesday – I’m so glad there’s something positive we can do right away.

Warmest regards, and blessings on your rebuilding,

Terry

On behalf of Theater Alliance

Hi Shaaren:

I am on the board of the Tenant Association at Senate Square Apartments, way down at 2nd & I / 3rd & H St. NE. Many of our residents frequent the Argonaut and we were horrified to hear about the fire.

On behalf of the tenant association, I would like to offer to host a fundraiser for you guys on one of our spacious roof decks or in one of our other communal spaces. There are more than 500 apartments in our community and we are now at more than 90% capacity, so we have access to a lot of people.

We try to be a positive part of the community whenever possible and I cannot think of a better way to do this than to reach out to you guys who give so much to our community. Let me know if you are interested or if there is anything else I or the the Senate Square Community can do.

Best of luck to you, your family and your employees,

Jonathan K

Hello guys.

Capitol would like to donate an older touch screen counter top game to the auction if you’re interested.

Thanks,

Larry

My name is Kyra and I live at … .

I don’t know what more to say other than I was nearly brought to tears last night when I realized that it was kid’s night at the Argo, but there would be no Argo to go to.

We are here to help, we will continue to support the business in anyway we can, be it drinking on the patio, attending fundraising events, or simply offering our verbal/written support.

And if you ever need a sitter, free of charge, we’d be happy to provide a few hours of non-tv time at our place, our 20-month old daughter would love the company.

Sincerely,

Kyra

—

days 7 and 8.

First things first. A week ago today, at 6:53:04 in the morning, 911 received the first of several calls about The Argonaut being on fire. The fire department arrived at 6:56:00. If those calls hadn’t come in when they did AND if the fire department hadn’t responded so quickly, The Argonaut would probably be gone.

Thank you so much.

(Ara got her fire fighter hat at Ward 6 Family Day yesterday. Still all gross from cleaning, we walked over there for the last 45 minutes or so. Nice to see everybody who was still there!)

—

Yesterday, Belfor started their clean-up. Wearing masks and remediation suits, they scrubbed and stripped and cleaned. They also fixed the roof. I was really hoping that the food situation would be taken care of, but since the day started out with our dumpster being taken away and returned (and since they don’t do dumpster dumps on Sundays) it seemed a bit inconsiderate to remove any food TWO days prior to it being able to be removed. Plus, they had their work cut out for them just with cleaning the upstairs!

Our electricians (with permission from the electrical engineer) were able to restore temporary power to part of the upstairs using a different meter (located in the basement), so Belfor can at least have lighting while they work. While they scrubbed our building, we cleaned everything that could be salvaged from the upstairs (bang boxes, unopened alcohol, memorabilia) and tried to make it fit in the Pod.

And we met with the wonderful, neighborhood architect who volunteered to help us out. There’s not much to do right now, but after the investigations are finished and Belfor can demo the area, he’ll be able to help us with plans.

Today, they removed the buckling floor from upstairs, sanded the subfloor, and prepared for the “new” floor installation to take place.

I know I’ve been going on and on about the stench, but really? It’s indescribable. I have a stomach of steel and I nearly threw up yesterday when standing inside the bar area. And my kid? She threw up ON THE PATIO this morning, and the front door wasn’t even open. So, you can imagine how thrilled we are that they also removed all the food this afternoon! A million apologies to anybody who has to smell it in the dumpster (we would have cleared it out last Monday if we had the option!), but we promise it’ll be gone tomorrow morning. And then we’ll give the whole outside area a nice power wash. Blech.

We brought home all the office paper work and stupidly dumped it on the bed to organize only to discover that it’s full of glass…particles. Bigger than sand, smaller than pieces, you get the idea. I think we’ve cleaned up the comforter. I hope, anyway. BUT, now when we can get back in our office, all the paperwork will be ready to go!

It’s been a little surreal today.

Last week, I had just gotten back from my run and was in the shower and could hear all the sirens flying down H street. Ara had woken up on the wrong side of the bed and I was trying to distract her with all the fire engines we could see out our bathroom window. “Look, Ara! Look at all those fire engines!” or, “Scott! Something big must have happened!”

Yeah. Something big happened.

But we’re still feeling so grateful and lucky. And supported. While sometimes it is hard to deal with, it’s almost impossible to feel sorry for ourselves with the support of an entire community. And that we’ll be able to rebuild.

The weekend’s thank yous:

• Thanks to John (host) for putting in some serious hours yesterday.
• Thanks to Richelle for coming down to help clean and re-pack!
• Thanks to James and Robyn for coming down to help (they read that we were looking for volunteers) – I could never have carried all those big containers of alcohol without you.
• Thanks to Gavin (the architect) for meeting with us (AND for volunteering his services). Amazing.
• Thanks to Bree and Mike for helping re-box the alcohol.
• Thanks to Will from Taphouse Graphics (Scott’s brother’s friend, who has been to Argo and who currently lives in California) for designing a graphic for our “fire” merchandise.
• Thanks to Nina, Mario, Lilianna and Natalia for watching Ara yesterday morning so I could help with cleaning. She loved her smoothie from Eastern Market!
• Thanks to Ricardo (and H Street Country Club) for dinner last night.
• Thanks to Belfor for removing all the food. Amazing. And thanks to Belfor in general. Last Sunday, the damage wasn’t as bad. But with all the heat, humidity, water, suppression chemicals and food badness, the damage is REALLY DAUNTING right now. Thank you.

So, the fundraiser. We’ll be there. Most of our staff will be there. On top of R&R’s complimentary cocktails, we’ll be selling fish tacos and sweet potato fries. And some other Argo classics – we haven’t decided yet.

We’ll also be selling some merchandise (t-shirts, shot glasses, coffee mugs) that wasn’t damaged in the fire. It might smell a little like smoke, but it survived! The t-shirts are the new black ones that our staff got to wear for approximately a week and a half before the fire. We’ll use the new logo for our online store merchandise – although we’re going to try and get some for Wednesday.

We don’t have an opening date yet, but it will be sooner rather than later. As soon as the fundraiser is over, we’ll begin working on a new, temporary, no-cook/quick-cook, summer menu. We’re thinking panini, roasted shrimp cocktail, potato salad with olive oil and dill, chilled soup, cole slaw – that sort of thing. We’re hoping to get a grill (but have to go through the regular channels) and then we can do burgers, etc.

All in all, we’re seeing serious progress already and feeling even better about the situation. Thanks to all of you for supporting The Argonaut (and us!) through such uncharted territory. We can’t wait to be back up and running again!

Thanks, everybody.

—

day 9. momentum! and awkward money talk.

Things are moving along really nicely! Belfor spray sealed today (we asked – it covers any remaining smoke odor AND acts as a bonding agent to put water-based paint on top of an oil-based paint. I’m not sure if we have oil-based paint or not, I think it’s mostly for the odor protection.) They also started taping and getting ready for painting to start tomorrow.

And the what-used-to-be-food is gone! We were a little worried (because the dumpster company wasn’t available to schedule a Monday morning pick-up – we just left a ton of messages!) that they wouldn’t be able to haul away our…food grossness, but they did! Hooray! We pressure washed the driveway where the dumpster was, and our entire dumpster area, too. And again, we’re really sorry if you were in the unfortunate position of having to smell it. Really, really sorry.

Belfor also pulled out all of the dining room furniture and cleaned it. Originally, they were going to remove and store it, but because of the rain, they moved it right back in. The good news is that most of it is salvageable. Tomorrow, somebody will come to see if they can match our floor, or if they’ll just remove it, sand and dry it, and re-install it. It really depends on the odor, and how much buckling there is.

We met with the electricians to go over what exactly we need to do to get power from the basement to the upstairs and the dining room. If we can figure out a power solution, we may be able to open the dining room along with the patio and the upstairs. Maybe.

The bad news? Our electrician got a phone call (from the powers that be) confirming his address (where they’ll send the official letter for the investigative meeting) and he asked if the meeting would still be on Friday. The answer was a big no. I’m writing this 4th hand (powers that be to electrician to Scott to me)and hoping I’m wrong, but this investigation could drag on for a longer than we had anticipated.

So, we started coming up with kitchen alternatives. There are companies that rent mobile kitchens, and if insurance would be willing to pick up that cost (we figure it’s less expensive than covering loss of revenue) maybe we really could get back on our feet earlier than anticipated. Scott left a message – we’ll see what they say.

Our t-shirt people will be trying their best to get some of the new t-shirts for the fundraiser on Wednesday. I looked into an online store (CafePress) to sell our merchandise, but we’d only get 10% of the profits, so we’re hoping our regular company can work with us. Otherwise, I’ll be the one handling orders (for what doesn’t sell at the fundraiser), and whatever we can afford to order later.

And now the awkward money talk. I had resisted this suggestion, but enough people have asked (I think because people can’t make it to the fundraiser?), so I finally created a PayPal account if people want to donate. (It’s on the top left of the screen.) Most (all?) of our full-time employees have found a couple shifts here and there, so the money would go to cover the difference and keep everybody (including us!) from losing housing, etc in the months to come. (We briefly thought that maybe we’d be able to find other stuff to do, but dealing with this has become more than a full-time job.)

As you can imagine, it’s really humbling to be in this position and we thank you all from the bottoms of our hearts. One of the phrases that has helped us a lot this last week has been “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.”

And I think it says so much more about you all than it does us.

Today’s thank yous:

• Thanks to Melvin for working again today!
• Thanks to Belfor (again!) for having to deal with the food situation.
• Thanks to the rest of the H Street Family for finding jobs for our crew – H Street Country Club, Granvill’s, Capitol City Diner, Rock and Roll, DC9, etc. These are some of the places our staff is working – many more businesses have offered.
• Thanks to Lee Wheeler (our globe artist) for producing a couple globe lights for us already! Because of everybody’s donations, I think we’ll be able to put them all over Argo and they will be just another wonderful reminder of what an amazing community we’re a part of.
• Thanks to Joe Englert for helping us cover some payroll and supply costs to keep our momentum going, and for coming up with the mobile kitchen idea.
• And thanks to my husband, Scott. If this had happened a couple months ago, we wouldn’t have reacted in the same way, and I’m not sure we (Argo or us) would have made it. We’re not perfect people by any means and I’m really proud of all the changes Scott has made.

Thanks, everybody.

—

day 10. relieved. and a little overwhelmed.

Still moving forward!

I spoke a little too soon – turns out they spray sealed today, not yesterday. It was pretty fume-y, so I didn’t check it out (I had Ara with me) but I can’t wait to see what it’s looking like in there. Scott (from Belfor) showed us the hardwood flooring they’ll be installing upstairs – it’s lighter than the original floor, but since we need to get up and running as soon as possible, it’s fine by us!

They should be done with the dining room (cleaning, anyway) today. I believe they’ve begun ripping up the floor downstairs, too, and removing the benches. There was some talk of trying to reuse the flooring if possible, but I’m not sure what’s been decided.

Melvin and Scott gathered everything out of the server station(s) and brought it outside to be cleaned and organized. It’s amazing how much stuff we cram in there!

The structural engineer came to see what damage was done in the fire. There’s no real structural damage to the joists or any of the load-bearing beams.

Scott did a walk through with our building insurance company’s temporary adjuster (our regular guy is away) to go over what’s been done so far, and to check that Belfor is sticking to their time line. (Which they most definitely are!)

Just to clarify – we have two insurance companies. One for the business and one for the property. They’ve both been really great to work with. Our building insurance company also said today that it does look like the meeting (with the powers that be) will be on Friday, so that’s really good news.

We’re expecting to get a quote from Belfor about the rebuild (the estimates so far have only been about the demo) and we’re optimistic about the building insurance paying for all of it.

Unfortunately, our business insurance isn’t as extensive as the building one, and we don’t have “Additional Expense” coverage. Basically, no mobile kitchen for us from them. Back to the drawing board we go. It may be determined that kitchen equipment falls under the building (fingers crossed) so we could end up with a mobile kitchen after all.

Oh! And the odor situation is so much better! I mean, it doesn’t smell perfect, but the difference is like night and day!

So, Scott is feeling much better about things and is relieved about the insurance situation. Meanwhile, I’m feeling a little more overwhelmed about Argo’s finances (and our own!) and am just hoping we can get open soon.

And waiting for the investigations is hard. Even though I know we’re not at fault, for me it feels kind of like on television when the kid who is in trouble is waiting outside the principal’s office? And everybody (principal, teachers and parents, etc.) are deciding what to do? Yup. That’s the feeling, irrational as it may be. The outcome of the investigation will have no influence on us opening the upstairs, or insurance paying for the clean-up, etc., and yet, today when I think about it, I start feeling anxious. I’m sure, just like last week, that the anxiety temporary!

Scott met with Antoine and Noris (back of house) today to figure out food for tomorrow. We’re definitely doing fish tacos (large ones, not small – like at H Street Festival last year) and sweet potato fries. Tonight, some of our front of house staff is coming over to figure out who is going to do what at the benefit (selling t-shirts, fish tacos, etc.). Tonight, I’ve got to inventory our merchandise and make cards for the silent auction items.

So. Again, more progress.

• Thanks to Melvin for working again today!
• Thanks to Belfor – they’re really doing an amazing job.
• Thanks to Dave for coming out and looking at the floor and giving us the estimates on reusing the floor vs. matching it.
• Thanks to everybody who donated stuff to the silent auction.
• Thanks to all our DJs – I had no idea you were ALL playing tomorrow!

Thanks, everybody.

—

days 11 and 12. thank you. thank you. thank you.

There was not enough time in the day yesterday, but a lot got done. They removed all the boards upstairs (covering the windows) and put in our temporary and very window-like plexiglass windows! They’re beautiful! The real windows are still 4 weeks out, I think, so these are a great in-the-meantime solution. AND! The two windows that are above the men’s bathroom ceiling and the right front of the dining room (towards the point) will have kick-outs. Hooray for being able to update some safety things!

And they removed all the tables and chairs from downstairs in order to rip out the flooring.

And then the benefit.

You all are amazing.

We were guessing (based on Facebook rsvps) that between 150 and 200 of you would come. How many did come? A little more than 300! I’m still waiting for an official tally, but between the donations, Paypal, merchandise, and food, I think you all raised almost $10,000. And we thank you so much. You’re helping our staff buy food, keep their housing, take their kids to the doctor. I can’t even express how much this means to us.

Enormous thanks to Rock and Roll, especially Steve. On top of hosting and advertising, they were in charge of the booze and they went above and beyond. And thanks to their very hard-working bartenders for doing such a great job!

Thanks to all our staff! Front of house rocked the merchandise and food tables! And back of house did a great job making wonderful food in an unfamiliar kitchen!

Thanks to the DJs! I’ve never actually been able to hear any of them spin before (because of *somebody’s* early bedtime) so it was really nice to check out their talent. It looked like everybody else was enjoying them, too, so if you can’t wait to hear them again, you can see them all at Palace of Wonders on July 8th! They’ll be doing ANOTHER benefit for The Argonaut. Above and beyond, I tell you.

“Guest of a Guest” was there taking pictures. You can check the pics out here. They look really good!

Thanks so much for all the silent auction donations! Two days ago, we had approximately 6 items to auction off, but yesterday, that changed quite significantly.

Here’s who won what: (oh – and I apologize for how horribly I’m about to misinterpret how your names are spelled!)

Gretty Good tickets from H Street – Michelle Bawe; Negra Modela Neon Bar Sign – Brian Nowlin; Negra Modelo mirror – Sarah Beatty; Handcarved Wine Rack – Anna Lucas; Curbside Cupcakes – Bree Foran; Curbside Cupcakes – Bree Foran; Curbside Cupcakes – Blake Aredas; Curbside Cupcakes – Joe Gregor; Healthy Motions Hot Stone Massage – Elizabeth Horst; Healthy Motions Hot Stone Massage – Elizabeth Horst; Nats Tickets (july 10th) – Nadia Jamai; Nats Tickets (july 4th) – Phil Toomajian; Ron del Barrilito Rum – Liz Scott; Recycled Sweater Stuffed Animal – Neidra Holmstrom; Recycled Sweater Stuffed Animal – Liz Scott; Maya’s Eye Photography – Jami Spykerman; El Jimador – Blake Areadas; Negro Modelo Neon Bar Light – Martha Huizenga; Japanese Yukata (summer kimono) – R Webber; Wine Carrier and Port – Paul Longormann; Silk Japanese Top – Virginia Donnelly; Wall Climbing Party – Neidra Holmstrom; Traditional Japanese Matsuri Happi – Leonard Howell; Rock and Roll Hotel Presidential Suite – Kristen Barden; Japanese Sailcloth Apron – Kristin Staduru; Pev’s Paintball tickets – Mark Collins; “Wimono” – Catherine Cooke; Set of 2 sake cups – Kristin Staduru; Set of 4 sake cups – Linda Cendes; Set of 4 sake cups – Ben Laws; “The Argonaut” painting – Liz Scott; Set of 4 sake cups – Tim Yowra; Roller Girls Tickets and T-Shirts – Jael; Set of 6 sake cups – Leila George-Wheeler; Atlas Tickets – Leila George-Wheeler; Corona Extra Bar Light – Christine Lucas; Mega Touch Force 2007 – Charles Allen; Corona Extra Neon Bar Light – Karen Younkins; Japanese Doll – Catherine Cook

Please email argonautdc@gmail.com so we can arrange pick-up (or possibly delivery if you’re close). We’ll also be trying to call, but email might be the fastest.

It was really nice to see everybody last night. I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did. I had no idea how much we’d miss seeing everybody during the week! (Another thing that we took for granted before, but will be even more grateful for when we reopen.)

—

Today, we went to the bank (thanks to you all!). And now, full-time employees can request money to supplement their housing/groceries/health care expenses. Normally, the whole family doesn’t go to the bank, but it seemed like a pretty big thing. (Plus, there’s a huge, saltwater fish tank that’s fairly mesmerizing. Check it out when you’re on Penn.)

The fridges and freezers in the basement have all been removed and the entire area has been cleaned. And it smells almost like normal. Hard to believe.

The rest of the dining room floor was removed this morning and now it’s almost completely bare in there. Scott says it looks like when they did the original build-out in June of ’05. It’s funny how much progress sometimes doesn’t look like progress.

Thankfully, we know it is.

Thanks, everybody.

—

beautiful art.

I just saw (the tweet about) this beautiful painting by Peter Harper on Frozen Tropics.

Amazing.

—

day 13. headless chickens. and t-shirts!

Sometimes it feels like there’s so much to do and no time! Or, I just forget… For example, I forgot to write two things yesterday. One, was to thank my sister, Marissa, and her husband, Chip, for watching Ara while we stayed at the benefit. And for doing all our dishes! Very, very helpful.

And two, I usually respond to emails after 1:00pm (Ara’s nap time), so I apologize if there’s a bit of a delay in getting back to you.

Today, they started painting! We went with a very dark blue for the walls and a grey for the ceiling/trim. Because of the special white primer, they’re probably going to have to do two coats of the blue. Argo seemed so empty today (since it’s just two guys painting, and not an entire crew!).

Once the painting is finished, all the flooring can go in. Then, we’ll figure out electricity (from the basement meter) and…open! We hope.

Scott also met with Sean Hennessey (I believe this is his website? Please correct me if I’m wrong.) who volunteered to do some decorative painting. We were envisioning something small, but apparently, he’s going to paint two areas (the big wall with the two portholes, and another one)! I can’t wait to see what he creates!

Sadly, the powers that be did NOT have their meeting today. Sigh. Thank goodness that the kitchen investigation is not hindering progress on the rest of the building. Thank. Goodness.

Now, for t-shirts! Since we haven’t yet found a good solution to the online store business, here is our current inventory! (Very professional, don’t you think? Note to self: Check YouTube for proper retail shirt-folding! I can’t get my stacks to stop falling over!)

Back Row: Special fire shirts. Argo crew logo on front and the fire logo on the back. From left to right, the piles are Small, Medium, Large and Extra-Large.

Middle Row: Current staff shirts. Argo crew logo on front and ship with “H Street Gathering Place” on back. From left to right, the piles are Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, 2XL, and one remaining 3XL.

Front Row: Two 18 mos shirts with Argo crew logo on front. One 24 mos shirt with Argo crew logo on front. Then current staff shirt for women. From left to right, Small, Medium, Large.

They’re all $15/each. Also, at this point, merchandise sales will be going to pay for more merchandise and for some equipment to get us up and running. (Like, food for when we open, coolers for holding all the prepped food, and disposable dishes/cups/etc. You get the idea.) I’m going to add a separate PayPal button for sales, but until then, you can just use the “Donate” button.

So. If you’re interested in a t-shirt, please email me (argonautdc@gmail.com). If you’re close, Ara and I can bring them to you. If not, we can figure out alternative arrangements. We still have a lot of shot glasses and coffee mugs, too. I’ll find out what those prices are asap.

I think that’s it for today. We’re off to deliver some shirts!

Thanks, everybody! And have a great weekend!

—

day 14. sigh. and thank goodness!

So. Yup. Scott walked in this morning and discovered that we’d been broken into. Up until today, the criminal element had only stolen a cooler, some umbrellas, maybe a couple other little things, and had only attempted to break in. But last night (or this morning) they pushed in the air conditioning unit (after using some tools, I believe) and then (I’m not sure the order):

• broke the gum ball machine to steal all the quarters;
• opened the downstairs juke box to try and get the cash out of the collection box (there wasn’t any cash in there – it was removed the day after the fire);
• looked in all the downstairs bar cabinets;
• may or may not have fallen down the basement stairs – there are some broken bottles and a bar stool at the bottom of the behind-the-bar staircase.

The police said there were a lot of good prints on the window sill, the air conditioning unit, the cash collection box in the juke, and the gum-ball machine. They said they’ll hand the prints off to the FBI and we hope to hear something in a week. They seem confident that they’ll get a hit since a lot of these types of crimes are committed by the same offender.

We’re just thankful that there was nothing in there to steal. And, that it was a person hoping for money, and not just somebody looking to vandalize the place.

Scott temporarily boarded up the window and Belfor came out to make it more secure.

The police said they’ll also ask the department to drive by more at nighttime. And again, if you happen to be walking or driving by and see somebody trying to break in, pleeeeeeease call the police.

I’m not sure if the painters came today or not (we left to go deliver t-shirts), and I doubt they’ll be painting on Sunday or Monday.

Here’s hoping for an arrest in this case AND more substantial things to post on Tuesday!

Thanks, everybody!

—

day 17. paranoia. and getting closer!