Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

As mentioned by commenter Justin, and documented in this sale notice here, Hannah Piano in Seven Oaks Shopping Center is closing after 42 years as the owners are retiring.

The Liquidation Sale will offer new and used pianos of all sizes, finishes, and price ranges, digital pianos and all print music. Deep discounts will be offered over the coming weeks and the store will close their doors when everything is sold.

Unfortunately, the keyboard under my fingers now is the only kind I ever had an affinity for..

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

UPDATE 23 March 2018 -- The closeout is over and the place is now closed:

As mentioned in the comments by several people, Burlington Coat Factory is closing their Columbia Mall store to relocate to a newly built building at Village At Sandhill. The final sale has now started.

Burlington occupied the first floor of the former Columbia Mall J C Penny location after Penny's itself moved to Sandhill (I don't appear to have done a closing for that for some reason). The second floor was never repurposed and remains vacant. This move will leave that side of the mall without any semblance of an anchor store. In fact, all of the former anchors, save for Macy's are now gone, and Macy's as a chain is having its problems as well. The idea has recently been mooted for Richland County to buy the whole property for offices. I don't know -- I think at this point, razing the buildings, plowing the parking lot and planting trees might be the way to go. Charlton Heston could ride through on a horse..

UPDATE 7 February 2018 -- Here is the new Sandhill building (not yet occupied):

UPDATE 18 June 2024 -- There is some kind of construction happening at the old Burlington. I suppose it's related to the county buying the mall, but I haven't heard anything specific about it:

Also added map icon, and updated post title from "Moving" to "Moved", and gave the mall street address instead of just "Columbia Mall".

I had held off doing this closing as I never could tell for sure if the place was closed, or just not ever open when I would drive by. I think the real-estate sign in the last shot pretty much settles the question.

This sandwich shop was the follow-on operation to The Lost Cajun. I thought it was a bit unusual that it would reopen as a sandwich shop as the plaza already has a Roly Poly on the other side but I guess that one is more "wrap" oriented. As I intimated above, I never visited Palmetto Subs as it was never open when I was in the area, and I'll admit though I love sandwiches I also like padded booths and a little bit more substantial atmosphere. (As I've said before, I would love if somebody brought the "Dagwood's" concept from Surfside Beach to Columbia..)

Although I did not know it at the time Plametto Subs is a regional chain, and continues to have stores in Florence, Sumter & Darlington.

(Hat tips to commenter Brian and I believe a number of others)

UPDATE 19 February 2022 -- Now Konnichiwa:

Also adding map icon and updating tags.

According to the pictures from October 2016 above, One Taco Two Taco opened on 20 October 2016 in the former Buddy's Saucy Dogs location. From the notice posted on the door in the pictures below, it appears they lasted into November or December of 2017. I like tacos, but it's far enough away from me that I never go the chance to stop by.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

Well, I guess things were supposed to get hot, but not *that* hot.

Strip club Platinum Plus suffered a roof fire on the 17th. According to The State:

Around 5:30 a.m. the Columbia Fire Department responded to a fire at Platinum Plus, located in the 300 block of Jacob Road, which is not far from Greystone Boulevard and visible from I-126.

The club was not open at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

An off-duty training captain saw a glow coming from the club’s roof as he was driving on I-126, according to CFD Capt. Ernest “Brick” Lewis. The training captain investigated and reported the fire.

It was a heavy fire on the roof and spreading rapidly, Lewis said.

The blaze at Platinum Plus was classified as a two-alarm fire because it required extra manpower to fight it, and also because of the unusual type of structure of the building, which was so split up inside, according to Lewis.

That's an interesting point about the building. Does anyone know what this was built for? I'm pretty sure before it was Platinum Plus it was another strip club, called something like Tom Kats, but it's a pretty big building, and I doubt it was bespoke built to be a strip club.

The "evacuation plan" referenced on the corner sign is the former Southern Gentlemens strip club location on Old Dunbar Road which was re-opened as Platinum West a few years ago (though I think it was a move and re-branding of Heartbreakers rather than a wholly new operation). Interestingly, that club also abuts a graveyard.

UPDATE 23 January 2018: Added previous names to the post title based on the comments.

As I was coming home today via River Drive heading towards Two Notch, I ran into this roadblock just across North Main. It looks like perhaps they are doing railroad track work. At any rate, Sunset Drive was completely closed. I'm not sure what the offical detour is -- it was a right turn onto North Main, and I just turned left to go back via Fontaine Road.

Apparently a grease fire which got way out of hand.

UPDATE 17 February 2018 -- Apparently still in the process of getting the premits straight and getting to work:

I'm not sure what the issues were since they spent a good while remodeling this building after it was Sunset Grill & Pizza, and that was not so long ago, but at any rate, there does appear to be actual work going on here, so I expect it will not be long before this Chickadee's location is back.

(Hat tip to commenter gofinsc and others)

UPDATE 22 February 2019 -- They had re-opened after the Fall 2017 closing in the post title, but now closed again for good to become King's Pizza:

UPDATE 11 May 2019 -- A) King's Pizza is apparently no longer coming here and B) This site is going downhill fast:

UPDATE 21 September 2021 -- Now open as Tropical Smoothie Cafe:

Well, here's the latest McDonald's to undergo the chain's current style makeover. This one is at East Forest Plaza, the Wal-Mart anchored strip at the Forest Drive/I-77 interchange.

In general these upgrades have been going pretty quickly, so I don't expect them to be shut for long.

I do have to say that I have found this store to be hard to get in and out of from Forest Drive. I've gotten coffee there a few times, but have kind of crossed it off my list.

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I was unaware of this little country-cooking restaurant a bit behind the old Piggly-Wiggly on US-1. The street, Oak Drive, doesn't look like the kind of place that would have any businesses, but there it is.

The door sign cites tax issues and has a postscript suggesting the place will re-open.

(Hat tip to commenter Arthur)