Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Speaking of Krystal, Franco's was the Krystal follow-on in this Murrells Inlet storefront, and if you look closely you can still the Krystal signage label-scar.

I never tried this place out as I have plenty of go-to pizza joints on the Grand Strand, and I've always found pizza described as "New York" to be underwhelming. I can't find any media reference to the place closing, but looking on the dates of Google reviews suggest it closed early this year.

This Walgreens was perhaps the least Wallgreens-looking store in the Columbia area, having been an Eckerd and then a Rite Aid until 2018. I had been in there a few times in each incarnation and it was fine, but it wasn't one of my go-to drugstores.

Commenter Andrew speculates that the issue here was the lack of a drive-through, but it's a corner spot, so I think they could have put one in somehow (though I did not think to look at the side area of the store). At any rate, the issue wasn't Walgreens oversaturation -- I believe the nearest one to here is either at Spring Valley Commons, or on Forest Drive, neither of which is particularly close.

(Hat tip to Mr. Guy)

This highly visible spot at Sandhill has housed a several restaurants over the years. It started as Atlanta Bread Company, and was then a Panera until that operation moved to Killian Road.

Esther's opened in August of 2021, and so was there just a bit shy of two years. According to the place's Facebook, the chef will be doing pop-ups and other projects in the future, with one coming up on 25 June 2023 at Polo Park.

The State noted the closing here.

(Hat tip to Mr. Hat)

This storefront is known to Google as Steve's Deli of WeCo for some reason or other, and appears to have been in business as recently as a month ago.

I don't believe I've ever had a Steve's sub, though there have been several around town for years. Jimmy Johns is my go-to, although Subway is OK. I probably ought to try one sometime, zooming in on the menu shows an All Cheese, which with Add bacon is a good place to start.

(Hat tip to Mr. Hat)

Here's another Tuesday Morning caught up in the chain's bankruptcy. This one is in Lexington in the Food Lion / Books-A-Million plaza, just done from the former Stein Mart

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

. This will leave the plaza with two rather large vacancies.

I admit to being a bit disenchanted with Buffalo Wild Wings. I never went to this location, but I used to go the the Devine Street store some because it was open late nights. I had one ongoing issue in that they would frequently be out of unsweet ice-tea. I know it's mainly a beer place, but my theory is that if you are out of something easy to make, and it's two hours before closing: make more. The other insight I had came when I ordered the hot pretzels one night, and decided I would rather have butter than cheese sauce or mustard. There was none. I'm sorry, but if you don't have butter in the kitchen, you're not a real restaurant. (Doesn't have to be in a individual packet, just put some in dressing cup and it will be fine..). Anyway, that's just one man's opinion.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I sometimes go the the neighboring Applebee's, and from what I could see across the way, Buffalo Wild Wings seemed to be doing a pretty good business. Coupled with the recent closings of the nearby Wild Wing at Sandhill and the Vista Wild Wing, it makes me wonder if the wings & beer restaurant is in decline.

Here is The State on the closing.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Hat)

Asian Express started to set up in this old Church's Chicken location in late 2018. Like the one on Broad River Road, which also took quite a while, the crews appeared to be working on it as a side project. For a while, things appeared to be going OK, if slowly, though there were some setbacks as when somebody broke the windows, but it has been months since I've seen any activity there, and as it is more than four years since they started, I am moving the place into the "never opened" category. I'd like to be proved wrong shortly, but it's not looking that way.

One of the very early closings I did on this site way back in January of 2008 was for this location of Tuesday Morning when it closed in Trenholm Plaza. At the time I called the store concept Big Lots by Martha Stewart, and I stand by that. After they left the Trenholm Plaza location, they did not come back immediately, but when La-Z-Boy closed in 2009, they moved into the current building.

Commenter Andrew sends this CNN link indicating that the whole chain is closing down after a second descent into bankruptcy. The article traces the immediate problem back to lost traction during the closings of 2020, but also indicates that the chain had no Internet strategy.

The final sale has started at his location, and has been going on at least a week, so if you want a bargain, you'd best not wait much longer; their Facebook says everything is 40% off.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

I guess this isn't too surprising given that the other Wild Wing Cafe locations in the area have already closed (one fairly recently), but combined with the recent Buffalo Wild Wings closing on Two Notch, it makes me wonder if this market segment as a whole is in trouble. I have heard that for restaurants to get wings nowdays it is almost a "market price" situation and a recent google review for this place does comment:

The wings here are TINY. Like half the size of a traditional wing. Maybe smaller honestly. It’s like they killed the chicken just after it hatched.

I can't comment personally about that as since I don't care for chicken I had never visited the place. Still it's always a shame to see a spot close and folks out of work.

Here's today's Facebook announcement, and here is the still extant web site

(Hat tip to commenter Larry)

Anyone know what's going on on South Main Street, between the State House & Blossom Street?

I recall that a while ago there was a study saying that it was too easy to drive and park on this stretch of road and there was a plan to fix that. Are they implementing that, or is this something else entirely?