Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, Victoria's Secret has sashayed out of Columbia Mall. Interestingly (or not) theirs is the second store-locator website I have visited lately that is very parsimonious about listing stores (though it is inspiring in other ways). At any rate, locally there are remaining stores at Sandhill and Columbiana.

I find the mall self-promotional poster interesting in that not only did they not take it down when Victoria's left, but in that it still touts Charlotte Russe, which has been gone for about a year now. I have not seen anything about the County plan for the property lately. It seems like whatever they are going to do, they should start it soon.

(Hat tip to commenter Rashaad Egister)

Well, I am saddened by this one, but not surprised. I have been going to Fuddruckers for many years, and it has been obvious over the last several that there was minimal money for anything more than basic upkeep on the store. There was never a real update to the fixtures, and certain booths would break and never be fully repaired. Starting perhaps ten years ago, the hours dropped off a bit, one side of the burger condiment bar was retired, and the patio was basically abandoned.

Still I stopped in every six weeks or so because I did enjoy the burgers (and the buns!). I noticed that over the years the same faces would be there month after month -- something that is pretty uncommon in the restaurant business these days. The story in Cola Daily makes the point that the manager had been there since the store opened.

As I said, I have gone many times over they years, but some people take it to another level. The Fuddruckers model is you place your order at the register, take your drink, sit down, and then come back to the counter when your name is called. Last year I heard: "Bob, your 25th anniversary dinner is ready!"

This was Columbia's only Fuddruckers. There are at least two on the coast, and apparently several in the upstate.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

UPDATE 13 February 2020 -- Here are some post-closing pictures:

UPDATE 17 June 2020 -- This place has now been sold, and construction is starting. Commenter
Mike Dodds says a church as bought the property:

I never ate at Saffron, but their mix of cuisines (Indian, Chinese & Mexican) intrigued me. I figure there was a family story in there somewhere. Yelp reviews indicate that the place changed hands last year, and you can see on the marquee sign, that the Mexican aspect has been elided.

Now the place has closed, and the follow-on will be a (fully) Mexican restaurant: La Cienega.

I don't know anything about The Roc other than that it is across from Columbia Mall, has not been open that I can remember, and hosted poetry open-mike nights in 2014.

Presumably there were reggae acts there, but if so, they don't seem to have left any google traces.

UPDATE 7 February 2020: Added Robbie's Pool Hall to the post title based on the comments.

UPDATE 17 September 2021 -- Here are some more pictures of the property:

I can honestly say I had never been on Barr Road before in my life -- this site has certainly taken me places. Commenter Andy mentions that this Jet Fuel convenience store in Lexington has recently closed and cites a protracted local battle over the place due to its plans to sell alcohol. Well, driving up from US-1, I can certainly say this is a well-churched area, so I guess that's not too surprising.

The place finally did open, obviously, but commenter Andy says it had gone downhill lately.

The State had a story on the controversy back in 2015

(Hat tip to commenter Andy)

It seems to me I have blogged an unusual number of Hardee's closings recently. I'm not sure if that says anything or if it's just coincidence or local conditions, but here's another.

This store is on Parklane, basically in a Columbia Mall outparcel, and not too far down from the local McDonald's. I'm not sure how long it was in this location, but it's been at least since the mid-90s. I do like this google review for the place:

Once got a burger that looked just as good in the ads.

That *shouldn't* be high praise, and yet..

Are there any Red Burrito locations of Hardee's left in Columbia?

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 19 June 2021: Adding tags.

Mickey's was on that section of Bush River Road (discontiguous from the main segment, and sometimes called Old Bush River Road) that connects Saint Andrews Road with the Lake Murray Dam in Lexington. I don't know much about the place other than juding by reviews, it closed some time in mid-2019. LoopNet (which has some nice sunny pictures) says the building was put up in 1980 and still has fully functioning lifts. Perhaps that's why the asking price seems rather high.

This was where I had my last Sandy dog, some time in the summer of 2019. It was good, and I remember thinking I should do that more often, but in the event never did.

Casa Linda in Forest Acres is one of my go-to places, but I don't think I've ever eaten at any of the other locations. I have eaten in this *building*, back when it was a D's Wings. Casa Linda set up shop there probably around 2013, and lasted until the end of 2019.

Actually commenter Heath mentions that this closing was more like a tidy ownership change, with El Patron quickly setting up there after year's end.

I'll note that the plaza marquee still touts the comics shop that closed in 2017.

This place started as plain Planet Pizza sometime in 2017 from what I can glean online. Around June of 2019, it was bought by King's Pizza, which was at the time in the midst of a planned build-out, though only this store and the one on Forest Drive were ever actually open. I took the vacancy pictures in early October 2019, so I'm saying it probably closed in September of that year. (The picture of it open was taken in mid-September 2019). The reviews for either incarnation are mostly so-so, but I'm guessing that King's seeming over-extension was the proximate cause here.