Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

LoopNet says this building was built in 1969. It was clearly a dry cleaner in its first life, although I do not know which one. After that, I think it was several things, but most recently a beauty salon, which always had lots of nice plants inside whenever I would drive by.

Today's closing comes courtesy of commenter James R who writes (in a note I lost track of for quite a while...):

An out of the area closing, but I thought you might like the
pictures anyway. Facebook says it closed in 2011.

He links to his Google Photo set of pictures of the place, from which the top picture comes. The pictures put me in the mind a bit of Main Beach Arcade in Fernandina Beach.

There is also a Facebook page devoted to the park, with many more photos, including some of it in operation.

Here's what I've been able to find out online (mainly here and here): The park is on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks, was built in the 1980s, and operated until 2010. At that time, one of the owners passed away, and the place was closed. It was intended to be temporary as the family dealt with the situation, but in the meantime, Hurricane Irene hit in 2011 doing enough damage that the park could not simply re-open. Since that time it has sat vacant with the family putting in just enough money to fence it off and handle the worst safety issues. A local civic association has tried to buy the park property several times, but as of early this year, that had not happened.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

This former Philips 66 has featured here before, when it was Buck Cooper Motors. Since then, Finish Line Auto Sales (at least) has moved in and out. Their sign says they have moved to 10609 Two Notch Road, which is just a bit beyond Pontiac House Of Pizza, though it seems to be officially an Elgin address.

Some time ago commenter April Blake reported that this former drycleaner in West Columbia was setting up to be a King's Pizza location. Like the one slated for the former Chickadee's location, that seems to have fallen through and the place is currently for rent.

What I can find out is pretty scant, but it has been a dry cleaner, a used car dealership (how many cars could they actually fit under that canopy?) and a locksmith. The locksmith does have a (good) review from 2017, so I'm using that as the overall date.

Clicking streetview on the map icon is interesting, as it shows a now demolished glass-box office on the canopy side of the building.

UPDATE 10 AUgust 2019: Adding Amoco to the post title based on the comments.

Rocket Fizz is a franchaised soda & candy operation that to some extent puts me in the mind of The Candy Cottage at The Hammock Shops and a place that used to be on Centre Street in Fernandina Beach (which, gradually over the course of several years, transitioned into an all things Celtic shop..).

The place opened in August of 2018, and here is an article republished from Coladaily about the opening, with lots of nice pictures which make me think it would have been more at home on Market or King Streets in Charleston..

As far as I can tell with all the newest reviews being dated "seven months ago", the place seems to have closed in January 2019. I suspect that there wasn't a lot of Winter foot traffic, which may have factored in.

(Hat tip to commenter Payne)

In the comments of the closing for The Captain's Kitchen on Decker, commenter Paul Armstrong offers the following information about The Captain's Kitchen:

The first Captain’s Kitchen opened in 1964 at 2628 Decker Boulevard advertising as “Columbia’s First Exclusive Seafood Restaurant”. It was owned and operated by Charles V Godwin and J D Hammond. In 1969, Hammond and Godwin formed a national franchise chain and the first franchise was built in Kentucky. In September of 1970, the second Captain’s Kitchen in the Columbia area opened at 2030 Charleston Highway in Cayce. There were also corporate owned Captain’s Kitchen restaurants in Augusta, Charleston, and Greenville. The Cayce location closed in 1975 and, in 1976, Skipjack opened in the same building, which is still standing, but now empty, at 2030 Charleston Highway. The original Captain’s Kitchen closed in 1984 and, in June of 1985, Zorba’s opened their second area restaurant in the old Captain’s Kitchen building on Decker Blvd.

I had forgotten it was a chain, and had another midlands location. Zillow confirms this building was a restaurant, and LoopNet suggests it was sold for taxes in 2012. If so, it does not appear anyone has done anything with it since.

It seems a rather odd location for a restaurant as there is not much in the area to this day.

UPDATE 8 August 2019: Add map icon.

I noticed today that the One Stop / Shell at the corner of Gervais and Harden streets is remodeling. A lot of Circle Ks have been doing this recently -- I don't know if this is to compete, or if it was just time.

I'm not sure how much USC still uses "textbooks" in the old sense. I haven't discussed it with anyone now in college, but my impression is that a lot of the books now are in ebook form. Since it sounds like the South Carolina Book Store is really getting out of the textbook market, that may be what happened.

At any rate, when I was in college this place was a sure visit every semester. In those, pre-internet, days this store and the USC owned textbook concession in the Russell House had a duopoly lock on the student book market. I usually tried to get all my bokos on campus, but invaribly there were one or two that were sold out and had to be tracked down here. They would also buy back textbooks, and from time to time growing up, my father would take me here with boxes of books that he had been sent in the hopes he would choose them for his classes, and would sell them, giving the proceeds to my sister and me. (I think he felt it wouldn't be quite right to take the money himself).

Aside from the texts, this place also had a heady mix of pencils, pens, notebooks, art supplies and drafting paper. There was a certain very specific smell when you walked in from all the paper and pencils. If I recall correctly, I had to get all my drafting supplies for my all-time least favorite class: Introduction To Engineering Drafting (or some similar name). I had a compass, gum erasers, drafting pencils, drafting paper and straight-edge. All of that, and after trying all day, I still could not draw a bolt in 3D perspective.

Despite driving past this store many times since college, I don't think I have been in since the 1980s, and I now it's too late to see if it still smelled the same..

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

When I did a closing for the Beltline J. Peters a few weeks ago, I linked to this Greenville News story which led me to believe that the J. Peters locations on the coast would continue unchanged.

This turns out not to be the case as the Litchfield Beach location closed, apparently a between one and two weeks ago. I can see why this location might have been on the block as it is not visible from US-17, and there is a Pawleys Island location directly fronting on US-17 just a few miles south (in the old La Playa storefront).

If this storefront looks familiar, it may be because I did a closing on it in 2014, which it was Carolina Wings & Rib House.

This bar in the Old Parthenon location is another casualty of the drive to enforce liquor license terms in Five Points establishments.

I don't know anything specific about The Thirsty Parrot, but it did make the news in 2018 when there was a shooting in the doorway.

UPDATE 23 July 2019 -- Commenter Sidney points out this place is not closed. I had read this State story which mentioned the building was being sold, and jumped to the wrong conclusion. D'oh!