"We anticipate being closed for several weeks." That was Cinder BBQ's outlook after a fire broke out in the 800 block of Upshur Street NW on Friday, January 9, 2026. DC Fire and EMS said six adults lost their homes. In the same message, Cinder thanked three neighbors by name: Timber Pizza "for their help and hospitality today," Little Food Studio "for the tea and muffins," and Sweet Lula Belle "for the coffee." It closed with "The best street in DC."

Today is October 4, about 38 weeks after the fire. Cinder is still closed as of the most recent reporting in early September. Even so, the block has not emptied out. It now has a new deli, a thrift shop that moved instead of leaving, and a comedy club taking over the damaged storefront next door. On this stretch of Upshur, each business relies on the ones around it, and that has kept the block going while its corner restaurant sits dark.

The Corner That Stayed Dark

The repair problem is in the building itself. Cinder posted an update on June 23, and PoPville shared it the next day: "Every time it rains, it pours into the kitchen and a bit into the dining room. Hard to start any work while the building is broken." Hoodline reported in September that water coming through the damaged roof had held up structural repairs and any reopening.

That June update is the last public word from the restaurant. The September reports say Cinder is still closed. Neither one announces a reopening date or a permanent closure. That leaves 800 Upshur where it was in June, with no decision announced either way.

The response to the fire came from people in the neighborhood. Within days, neighbors started a GoFundMe for Cinder's employees, and the appeal warned that reopening could take months. That turned out to be the more accurate estimate.

Why 806 Went to the Neighbor

The fire also damaged 806 Upshur, the storefront between Cinder and Room 808. Fia's Fabulous Finds, the secondhand boutique Safisha "Fia" Thomas founded, had been there for several years. Fia's did not leave Upshur. It moved across the street toward Georgia Avenue. Its own site now lists the shop at 843 Upshur St. NW and promoted September events at that address.

In late summer, a notice went up in the 806 window. According to the PoPville report from September 1, its key words were "COMEDY CLUB." Room 808 is expanding into the space next door.

Room 808 makes sense here because of how it operates. Comedian Martin Amini, who grew up in Silver Spring, opened the club in September 2021 in a former flower shop at 808 Upshur. It has no full bar and no kitchen. Guests 21 and older bring their own drinks, and Hoodline reports they often get food and drinks from nearby storefronts on Upshur. In roughly 800 square feet, the club has run comedy showcases as many as six nights a week, booking local comics alongside touring comedians who have appeared on Netflix, HBO, and Comedy Central. The Washington Post named it one of the city's best comedy clubs in 2024.

Room 808's format leans on the shops around it. The club's own booking page still says it does not serve food or alcohol. Hoodline estimated the expansion could about double the club's footprint. If that happens, more of those customers end up on the same block.

Several details are still unknown. No renovation timeline or seating count has been announced. Hoodline also flagged that it is unclear whether the club will stay BYOB in the larger space or apply for a full liquor license. For now, shows continue at 808. The schedule runs nightly from October 5 through 9, with Amini on the bill October 8.

The 806 building has some investment history. It received a $50,000 Great Streets grant from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development in 2018 for commercial improvements. Hoodline also notes that the block falls within the Petworth Main Street corridor, created in late 2021 to support small, locally owned and immigrant-owned businesses on Upshur between 8th and 13th Streets.

The Block, Address by Address

Here is the 800 block as of early October, in address order, with how recent each business's status is:

1. 800 Upshur, Cinder BBQ. Closed since January, according to September reporting. Last direct update was June 24.
2. 806 Upshur. Formerly Fia's Fabulous Finds. Now has a posted notice announcing a comedy club, with no opening date.
3. 808 Upshur, Room 808. BYOB comedy, with shows on the calendar this week.
4. 809 Upshur, Timber Pizza. The fire-day helper Cinder named first. Its Petworth page lists current weekly hours and pickup and delivery ordering.
5. 821 Upshur, District Larder Co. New this year. Details below.
6. 843 Upshur, Fia's Fabulous Finds. Same shop, now across the street.

A Deli Opened Mid-Recovery

District Larder Co. opened on May 4, 2026, when Cinder had been closed for almost four months. Owner Matt Sperber has worked at Any Day Now, Momofuku, and The Salt Line. Washingtonian's July roundup described house-made salami, mortadella, capicola, and half-smokes, along with a small dinner menu served a few nights a week. The Infatuation's review focused on whole-hog butchery with pigs from local farms. The menu includes cured meats, pâté pastries, sausages, brats, and very large subs.

Its site lists daily deli and market hours with dinner Thursday through Sunday, and the current menu is labeled "SEPT26." A deli selling big sandwiches every day sits a short walk from a club where you bring your own food. That pairing is the kind that has kept this block busy.

Fia's move also kept Upshur's calendar going. On September 11, Petworth Main Street's Art All Night ran from 4:30 p.m. to midnight, with locations on the 800 block of Upshur and on Georgia Avenue. Fia's advertised its own Art All Night event that evening from its new address.

What's Left on the Fall Calendar

There is still time this fall to make a weekend of Upshur and the area around it:

• Petworth Community Market, 9th and Upshur, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It runs from the first Saturday in May through mid-November, so a few Saturdays are left.
• Two Faces Comedy Series at President Lincoln's Cottage, September 24 through December 15, for anyone who wants a second comedy stop in the neighborhood.
• A conversation with historian Matthew Pinsker at the Cottage on October 13.
• The New Civic Path: America at 250, at the Cottage through November 13.

For a Saturday on the block: buy produce at the market, walk down to District Larder for lunch, then take a sandwich or a Timber pizza order to a Room 808 show that evening.

At Conway Group, we pay attention to Upshur at this level, down to which storefront is changing hands and which neighbor is expanding into it. If you're thinking about a rowhouse within walking distance of the 800 block, or about selling one, schedule your neighborhood consultation and we'll go through what's happening on your block.