Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, I am happy to report that the best sandwiches on the Strand are available again. After a fire closed Dagwood's in Surfside back in January, the place underwent a several month rehabilitation, opening again last week as reported on their Facebook.

Here is a WMBF story on the fire. According to the chain's site, this building has been a Dagwood's since 2006. I am pretty sure I recall it being a Shoney's before that, and where we ate Thanksgiving dinner one odd-off year when all our relatives were away.

I look forward to a BLT+ the next time I am on the Strand!

I didn't get out to take a closer look as it was raining pretty hard, but commenter JamesR says this little antique and rummage shop on US-1 has closed due to the owner's retirement.

(Hat tip to commenter JamesR)

As reported by commenter Gypsie, Brakes 4 Less has moved down (or up) the street to 603-B Columbia Avenue which was apparently a Precision Tune.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

This may be flagged as a move, and hopefully the employees have relocated, but the Augusta Road location referenced in the sign has been open for quite a while, so this is actually more of a closing.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

Tee'd Up was the follow-on operation in this Lake Murray adjacent building to Shooey Malone's. Judging by the farewell note on the place's Facebook, the owner had another avenue open up, and a chance to sell the property as well.

Although the note is a bit vague, something else if obviously coming, and work has already started on the building for whatever it is.

(Hat tip to commenter JamesR)

I noticed the other day that the carwash at the corner of Percival & Brackenridge is gone, and all the bays on the building are now enclosed in rollup doors. There doesn't seem to be any name on the place now, but perhaps a new auto-related operation is coming.

We've mentioned this closing several times in Have Your Say, but Blythewood based Chubby's Burgers has closd their Jackson Square location. This storefront is a mention on Good Luck With That, having hosted a number of different restaurants in the relatively short time the plaza has existed.

I always expected I would check out Chubby's sooner or later, but if it's a matter of driving out to Blythewood, that may not now happen.

The Free Times has the story.

I don't believe I have ever been in one of these places, but they & their predecessor Jewelry Warehouse have been around forever.

This Sandhill location opened in November 2021, and you can still see the opening on their Facebook.

I didn't see any end date posted, but they Store Closing signs are already up, and the suites are for lease, so if you want to check it out, you should probably do so soon.

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

Well. This was a long time coming, but pretty much inevitable. This Panera Bread location had been epically mismanaged for a number of years, as a glance at the Google reviews will show. I used to come here pretty frequently as it is fairly close to my house and they had a patio that was pleasant in temperate weather. However over the years things just got worse and worse with tables never being wiped down, the dish return stations going unbussed, the bathrooms unscrubbed and the counter almost completely unmanned. If you did manage to place an order, something inevitably would be wrong with it, and if you ordered coffee, the urn would invariably be cold. Add in being panhandled at first outside and later inside, and it was just not a good experience.

Apparently the space is being prepped for a Metro Diner, a chain with which I am unfamiliar, but which appears to be sort of a down-home breakfast & comfort food place.

In the meantime, I have found the Panera on Killian Road to be pretty well run, if harder to get to.

(Hat tip to commenter Larry)

I was not really familiar with this small Asian grocery storefront, though I have done closings on this wing of the plaza before. Commenter Gypsie says it has probably been closed since late last year based on review dates.

I believe there is still another Asian grocery on Saint Andrews Road down near Quail Valley.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)