Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I've been to a number of Doctors Care locations over the years (though never to this one), and have generally been happy with the result.

This one, I guess, was to cater to day visits for the office workers downtown. The closing sign doesn't exactly say so, but I suspect COVID-19 was the motivator here, both for the stress it put medical front-line workers, and from the decrease in office work. The closing is tagged as temporary, but you never know how these things will work out.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

Well I hope everybody had a great holiday season, and wish you all a Happy New Year! I know *I* am not sad to see 2020 in the rearview mirror, and now as the new year starts, it's time to ramp up to a more normal posting volume again.

Grilled Teriyaki in Five Points proves how wrong my intuition can be: I recall thinking when it opened that it would never last a year. In the event, while I'm not sure exactly when they opened anymore, I know it was closer to twenty years ago than one!

The State has a rather terse article noting the closing. Apparently few details are available, but I'm going to guess that COVID-19 played a big role here. As of yet, there is no new tenant in the offing.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 5 January 2021: Added the map icon, which I forgot initially.

Merry Christmas Columbia!

Read the rest of this entry »

This place sits beside and behind the local San Jose restaurant, and most of these pictures are from the parking lot there since it was raining. I get out this way very seldom and know pretty much nothing else about Helping Hands

This is the second time I've been here however as someone said a few years ago that this place was closing then, and I took a few pictures (which I can't now find), but they ended up staying open. This time seems to be definite, as the closing sale is being advertised and there is a real-estate sign. LoopNet has a map, showing that the property is much more extensive than I had realized.

(Hat tip to commenter Ellen)

Somehow I spent my whole life without ever seeing such a thing, but apparently it's not uncommon:

A 22° halo is an optical phenomenon that belongs to the family of ice-crystal halos. Its form is a ring with an apparent radius of approximately 22° around the Sun or Moon. When visible around the Moon, it is called a moon ring or winter halo. It forms as direct sunlight or moonlight is refracted in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.[1] The halo appears large; its radius is roughly the length of an outstretched hand at arm's length.[2] A 22° halo may be visible on as many as 100 days per year – much more frequently than rainbows.

Somehow I still doubt that "more frequently than rainbows" part..

Another casualty of Covid-19, World of Beer closed their Vista location on 16 November according to The Free Times. Hopefully there is some light on the horizon, as this can't go on much longer.

(Hat tip to commenter Lone Wolf & then commenter Dustin)

UPDATE 8 December 2020: Add missed hat tip to Lone Wolf

As mentioned by commenter Zach, Paul's Barber Shop in the strip at the corner of Lexington Drive & Platt Springs Road has moved. The new locaiton is 2361 Augusta Hwy Suite E, Lexington, SC 29072.

I mostly know Airport Tec Plaza as the final resting place for Taco Cid.

(Hat tip to commenter Zach)

As noted by commenter Heath, Nooch & Lalo Mix Mex Food & Drink in the Flight Deck complex in Lexington has closed. ColaDaily has the story and says:

The announcement via social media names "devastating family issues" as a factor as to why the closure was the best decision. Co-owners and partners Jose "Lalo" Parra and Nicholas "Nooch" Kole will be moving to Mexico to start a new chapter, according to the announcement[.]

This place was the follow-on operation to Arkos and opened in November 2019, closed earlier in 2020 and announced the permanent closing in mid-November 2020.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

Well, this is a bit disappointing. This credit union with ATM in the Big Lots plaza has been one of my go-to places in this area for no-fee Co-Op ATM withdrawals. It is one of the places I mentally marked as "safe", as it does not unexpectedly give $50 bills (which nobody wants, why does anyone do that!).

The new location seems quite a ways from here, and I don't see how it will be convenient for the members who use this branch.