WASHINGTON — A local bar that’s been filling pints since 1998 is about to close its doors for good, and everything inside is being sold to the highest bidder in an online auction.
Rhino Bar and Pumphouse on M Street in Georgetown will only be open for a few more days.
This Saturday is the last night you’ll be able to visit and drink a toast to the memories.
Rasmus Auctions is conducting the online auction, which includes pool tables, bar stools and flat screen TVs, as well as some more unusual items.
“Caps jerseys, Bruins jerseys, classic Redskins jerseys like Joe Theismann and Sammy Baugh,” Marie Jarvis, with Rasmus Auctions said Thursday at a walk-through of the bar for potential buyers.
“People just want to take home a peice of the bar they’ve been going to for years, their neighborhood bar. Especially stuff that says Rhino Bar on it, is gaining a lot of interest,” she added.
Also getting a lot of attention are two signs from the bar’s previous incarnations.
Owner Britt Swan tells WTOP the bar was called The Shamrock from 1952 until 1972, and Winstons from 1972 until Rhino Bar was born.
Swan says his lease on the bar is running out, and although he thought he had a deal to stay for $26,000 a month, it fell through.
He has no plans to reopen the place in another location.
The auction begins to close at 1:07 p.m. Friday, at a rate of 5 items per minute.
