A fire that started early Friday morning in a strip of businesses on Ewing Drive has forced Nashville institution Prince’s Hot Chicken to close “indefinitely.”

Semone Jeffries, whose mother André Prince Jeffries has owned and operated Prince’s for decades, said a Prince’s employee was in the building in the early morning hours of Dec. 28 when he heard a commotion. Sometime around 4 or 5 a.m., a car crashed into the string of businesses near Dickerson Pike. The wreck caused a fire, which then spread to Jennifer Nails next door and ultimately Prince’s.

According to Jeffries, the restaurant noted for creating and popularizing Music City’s most famous culinary export sustained damage to its ceiling, roofing, tiles and more, with water damage caused by the fire department’s efforts to stop the blaze.

“We’re going to get the supplies out as soon as possible, get some things under control,” Jeffries said this morning. “Get it cleaned up. But right now, I’m going to get on the phone with the insurance company and get situated. Get that part of it going. Talk to the accountant [laughs]. Everybody gets involved when this happens.”

The business that bore the brunt of the damage is a not-yet-opened convenience store that was set to open its doors as soon as this week, Jeffries said.

“He just got his supplies in,” said Jeffries of the convenience store owner, who wasn’t present when the Scene visited the site. “He was just getting ready to open probably this week if not today.”

Prince’s has a second location at Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Pike. Jeffries says that while the original location will likely be closed “indefinitely,” she hopes customers will find their way to the Nolensville outpost.

“We do have the other location, so we’re hoping and praying that [customers] will go out there.”

Lining the front window of Prince's is a row of booths that have been a Prince's trademark for the better part of a century — but the booths were not damaged in the blaze.

"Thank God, they're not harmed," she said, adding that she knew everything would work out fine when she realized the booths were still intact. "They can be saved."

We’ll update this post as any further details become available.