Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

This former Exxon is on Farrow Road where it intersects with Broadland Avenue and is now an independant auto repair operation. I wish it had been a sunnier day so these pictures were less gray and dreary, but that's the way it was, and I don't go by there very often.

Admittedly my closing date is just a guess here, as is postulating that this station started as an Esso, but the gull-wing lights lead me to think it was built before 1970, and the Esso/Exxon switch didn't happen until 1973.

Furthermore, the rounded style of the kerosene pump together with the fact that the price only has two digits (plus 1/10ths of a cent) leads me to think the station didn't make it past the 1970s.

A distant view of the whole shopping center plot:

The First Citizens stands more or less exactly where Campbell's Drugstore was:

The new Forest Acres Town Clock:

The Talbot's building is where the far end of the first building was:

This is the second building of Forest Lake Shopping Center which is still standing today:

Sakura was Christo's Roast Beef House as well as Moolan's Hide-Away, Biddie Banquet and serveral other restaurants:

Coplon's was originally Colonial grocery:

This was originally Dobbs House and several other restaurants:

The Forest Lake Shopping Center Park was originally owned by Colonial and fell into disrepair after that store closed:

This was the original location of Forest Lake TV:

The current garden center (not to be confused with the one sometimes listed below) and Webb Rawls gallery/framing center share the old First Citizens location, with the gallery being in the old main building (the vault is still in there) and the garden center being in the drive-through buildings and parking lot. I suspect the listings below give several different bank tenants for this slot, but I'm not sure which are here and which are elsewhere in the shopping center:

Forest Lake Shopping Center was the name of the shopping center at the North-East corner of Trenholm Road & Forest Drive, across Forest Drive from Trenholm Plaza and across Trenholm Road from Five Guys and Forest Acres Town Hall.

As I remember Forest Lake Shopping Center it never quite thrived the way Trenholm Plaza did, and over the years it gradually got a bit dowdy. In the end, instead of giving the place some TLC and a facelift, the main building was torn down to be replaced by a two new ones, a First Citizens bank and Talbot's. (Just recently the Forest Acres town clock was put up at the corner of the old Shopping Center Space).

The second original building of Forest Lake Shopping Center still stands and now houses Coplon's, Sakura and several other shops.

As you can see from the listings below, the city directory went back and forth on whether Dobb's House (in the corner of the parking lot) and the Garden Center (across Gills Creek) were offical parts of the shopping center or not. You can also see that they also incorrectly listed Trenholm Plaza fixtures Piggly Wiggly and the Post Office as being in Forest Lake Shopping Center

Rather than reproducing images from the city directories, I have opted to type them in, so search engines can find them here. That means I have probably made some typos that I will fix as they are pointed out. Also note that the early listings for the shopping center did not have suite numbers. When they started being given, I have reproduced them. Even then, not every shop was always given a number.

I have given 1982 as the closing date for Forest Lake Shopping Center because that was the last year it was a separate listing in the City Directory. Apparently at that point, they gave up running it as a going shopping center, and thereafter every shop got its own street address. However, the building was not torn down until sometime after 1984. I should have continued looking in directories after that, but for some reason I did not.

1957

No separate listing for Forest Lake Shopping Center as such was given in the 1957 city directory, but a number of the shops are listed as standalones.

Forest Lake Laundromat
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
Mayfield's Barber Shop
Cooper Agency Inc
Perpetual Building & Loan Association
Mutual Properties Inc.
Mutual Savings & Loan Co
Cooper-Shawview Hts Inc
Forest Lake Water Wks district office
Southern States Construction
Mrs. Eliz B. Bailey (liquor)
Forest Lake Hardware
Ardis Texaco Service Station
Campbell's Forest Lake Pharmacy
Piggly Wiggly
Forest Lake Beauty Salon

1958

Dodd's 5-10-25¢ Stores Inc
Mel's Kiddie Land (toys)
Lad 'N Lassie Shops Inc (children's clothes)
Brooks Brown Forest Acres Florist
Bagnal's Appliances & Paint
Your Shop (clothing)
Eau Claire Bakery
Calhoun Life Insurance
Colonial Stores Inc
The Commercial Bank & Trust Co of SC
Forest Lake Shopping Center
Carol Glass School of Dance
Gillespie's Forest Lake Laundromat
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
Mayfield's Barber Shop
Cooper Agency Inc (real estate)
Perpetual Building & Loan Association
Mutual Properties Inc
Mutual Savings & Loan Co
Cooper-Shawview Hts Inc (real estate)
Forest Lake Water Works (district Office No 1)
Southern States Construction Co
Mrs. Eliz B. Bailey (liquor)
Forest Lake Hardware
US PO
Ardis Texaco Service Station
Campbell's Drug Stores Inc
Piggly Wiggly
Forest Lake Beauty Salon

1959

Dodd's 5-10-25¢ Stores Inc
Mel's Kiddie Land (toys)
Lad 'N Lassie Shops Inc (children's clothes)
Brooks Brown Florist
Forest Lake Mens Shop Inc
Garber's Shoes
Your Shop (clothing)
Eau Claire Bakery
Colonial Stores Inc
Lampland
Perry mortage & Realty Co
The Commercial Bank & Trust Co of SC
Forest Lake Garden Center
Carol Glass School of Dance
Gillespie's Forest Lake Laundromat
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
Mayfield's Barber Shop
Cooper Agency Inc (real estate)
Perpetual Building & Loan Association
Mutual Properties Inc
Mutual Savings & Loan Co
Forest Lake Water Works (district Office No 1)
Southern States Construction Co
Mrs. Eliz B. Bailey (liquor)
Forest Lake Hardware
US PO
Campbell's Drug Stores Inc
Andrew A. Manning Jr (physician)
Elmo J. Schmidt (dentist)
Piggly Wiggly
Forest Lake Beauty Salon

1960

Dodd's 5-10-25¢ Stores Inc
Mel's Kiddie Land (toys)
Lad 'N Lassie Shops Inc (children's clothes)
Brooks Brown Florist
Forest Lake Mens Shop Inc
Garber's Shoes
Your Shop (clothing)
Forest Acres Realty Co
Eau Claire Bakery
Colonial Stores Inc
Lampland
Perry Realty & Mortgage Co
The Commercial Bank & Trust Co of SC
Forest Lake Garden Center
Carol Glass School of Dance
Gillespie's Forest Lake Laundromat
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
Mayfield's Barber Shop
Cooper Agency Inc (real estate)
Perpetual Building & Loan Association
Mutual Properties Inc
Mutual Savings & Loan Co
Forest Lake Water Works (district Office No 1)
Southern States Construction Co
Mrs. Eliz B. Bailey (liquor)
Forest Lake Hardware
US PO
Campbell's Drug Stores Inc
Andrew A. Manning Jr (physician)
Elmo J. Schmidt (dentist)
Piggly Wiggly
Forest Lake Beauty Salon

1961

Dodd's 5-10-25¢ Stores Inc
Mel's Kiddie Land (toys)
Lan (sic) 'N Lassie Shops Inc (children's clothes)
Brooks Brown Florist
Forest Lake Mens Shop Inc
Garber's Shoes
Your Shop (clothing)
Forest Acres Realty Co Inc
Eau Claire Bakery
Colonial Store's Inc
Lampland
Perry Realty & Mortgage Co
The Commercial Bank & Trust Co of SC
Forest Lake Garden Center
Carol Glass School of Dance
Gillespie's Forest Lake Laundromat
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
Mayfield's Barber Shop
Cooper Agency Inc
Perpetual Building & Loan Association
Mutual Properties Inc
Mutual Savings & Loan Co
Forest Lake Water Works (District Office No 1)
Southern States Construction Co
Mrs. Eliz B. Bailey (liquor)
Forest Lake Hardware
USPO
Campbell's Drug Stores Inc
Mrs. Theodosia G. Orr (physician)
Mrs. Serena R. Clark (physician)
Elmo J. Schmidt (dentist)
Piggley Wigly
Forest Lake Beauty Salon

1962

Forest Acres Town Clerk
Dodd's 5-10-25¢ Stores Inc
Lan (sic) 'N Lassie Shops Inc (childrens' clothing)
Forest Lake Men's Shop Inc
Garber's Shoes
Your Shop (clothing)
Forest Acres Realty Co Inc
Eau Claire Bakery
Colonial Stores Inc
Lampland
Perry Realty & Mortage Co
The Commercial Bank & Trust Co of SC
Forest Lake Garden Center
Bankers Securities Inc
Carol Glass School of Dance
Forest Lake Laundromat
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
Mayfield's Barber Shop
Cooper Agency Inc
Prepetual Building & Loan Co
Southern States Construction Co
Mrs Eliz B Bailey (liquor)
Forest Lake Hardware
Campbell's Drug Stores Inc
Mrs. Theodosia G. Orr (physician)
Mrs. Serena R. Clark (physician)
Dobb's House (restaurant)
Elmo J Schmidt (dentist)
Piggly Wiggly
Forest Lake Beauty Salon

1970

1 Forest Lake Pharmacy Inc
1a Phillips Petroleum Co
10 Forest Lake Beauty Salon
11 Dodd's 5-10-25 Cent Store
12 Flowers By Brooks
13 Norman's Lampland
14 Forest Lake Knitting Shop
16 Union Oil Co of California
16 Forest Lake Fabric Center
17 Calvert-Brodie School of Dance
18 Perry White Realty Co
19 Jack Owen Photography
20 Elmo J. Schmidt (dentist)
21 Forest Acres Realty Co
22 Colonial Stores Inc
23 Town of Forest Acres City Hall
24 Christos Roast Beef House
25 Forest Lake Radio & Television Serivce

1975

1 Forest Lake Pharmacy
1a Lob's Volley Tennis
10 Forest Lake Beauty
11 Fabrific Fabric Center
11a The Jade Clock
12 Flowers By Brooks
13 Carolina Lamp & Shade
14 Forest Lake Knitting
15 Union Oil Co of California
16 Forest Lake Drapery & Upholstery Fabric Center
17 Jack Owen Photography
18 White Realty Co
19 Ladder Escape Co
20 Elmo J. Schmidt (dentist)
Christos Roast Beef House
21 Forest Acreas Realty
22 Colonial Stores Inc
Forest Lake Radio & Television Service
23 Registered Nurses & L P N Registry
Dial-A-Sitter
Vogue Stylons
24 Calvert-Brodie School of Dance
Fabrific Fabric Center
26 The Dance Store

1980

1 Forest Lake Pharmacy Inc
10 Forest Lake Beauty Salon
11 The Lily Gilder (women's clothing)
12 Flowers By Brooks
13 The Golf Bag
14 Forest Lake Knitting Shop
15 Case Brothers House of Music
Brides of Carolina
16 Forest Lake Drapery & Upholstry Fabric Center Inc
17 Vacant
18 Capital Independent Adjuster
20 Skandia Restaurant
22 Forest Lake TV Repair
23 The Nurse Registry
Palmetto Nurses Registry Rev Richard C. Acker Director
Peachtree Nurses Registry Rev Richard C. Acker Director
Poste Bidders (printing)
Dial-A-Sitter
24 Calvert-Brodie School of Dance
26 Howard S. Denny, Jr (dentist)

1982

Last separate listing for Forest Lake Shopping Center

1 Forest Lake Pharmacy
7 The Lily Gilder (clothing)
8 Brides of Carolina
10 Forest Lake Beauty Salon
12 Flowers By Brooks
13 Heritage Printing Co
14 Forest Lake Knitting Shop
15 Case Brothers House of Music
15 Forest Lake Drapery & Upholstery Fabric Center Inc
17 The Cache Pot
18 Mitchell Music Co
20 Skandia Restaurant
21 Erik Florander
22 Forest Lake TV Repair
23 Ralph E. Walden & Associates (architects)
24 Calvert-Brodie School of Dance
26 Howard S. Denny, Jr. (dentist)

1983

Shops now listed as individual street addresses

4803 M. L. Sweets (confectionery)
4805 Majik Market Food Store No. 39
4807 The Picture Place (framer)
4809 Silver Fox Tennis Shop
4811 Forest Lake Barber Service
4813 Cooper Insurance Agency
Perpetual Trust Co
4815 Southern States Construction
4819 Schmidt Liquors
4825 Good Wood Unfinished Furniture

1984

4803 M. L. Sweets (confectionery)
4805 Majik Market Food Store No. 39
4807 The Picture Place (framer)
4809 Silver Fox Tennis Shop
4811 Forest Lake Barber Service
4813 Cooper Insurance Agency
Perpetual Trust Co
4815 Southern States Construction
4819 Schmidt Liquors
4825 Ashby's (clothing)

UPDATE 19 October 2012: I have been reminded in the comments that this shopping center pre-dates Trenholm Plaza and that the Piggly Wiggly and Post Office did in fact start here before moving across the street. (Piggly Wiggly is, of course now long gone, but the Post Office remains in Trenholm Plaza).

Here's a rather overgrown building on Fairfield Road to the north of I-20 that apparently has been a number of things over the years, but most recently housed three related service businesses.

UPDATE 27 September 2023: Update tags & add map icon.

I had thought these two separate stores when I took the pictures, but closer inspection leads me to believe that while they may have been operated as seperately licensed businesses for ABC reasons, they shared one door (the door on the right of the Party Store side appears to be blocked off).

Both were in the little plaza at the corner of Leesburg Road and Greenlawn Drive which also housed the former Leonardo's Screen Printing and still very much open Pizza Palace.

Tea was apparently a Vietnamese tea house with sandwiches and other fare. It was on that little strip of State Street near Meeting Street which has a whole row of storefronts, and was in between Rish Florist and the original Cafe Strudel location.

I don't have my phonebooks right now, but the last online reviews I see for the place are dated early 2011, so I'm guessing it closed that year.

I noticed a For Rent sign on this nice little building at Taylor & Henderson Streets a couple of weeks ago as I was driving downtown.

To me the place looks like a former house, but more like a 1950s house than the older homes you often see converted to offices downtown. If so, they were building residences in the area later than I would have expected.

At any rate, clients of the law firm shouldn't worry, they have moved just a bit up the block to this building at 1614 Taylor:

UPDATE 3 October 2012: Update the move date from "2012" to "circa 2007" based on the comments.

This small Indian market was the follow-on operation to Groucho's Deli in this Broad River Road storefront. It started sometime before November 2011 and I'm pretty sure I saw it still open in early September 2012.