Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I've never been in this store, but from the outside, it appears to be *huge*, occupying several potential storefronts.

The store moved to here from its original location on Saint Andrews Road back in 2010, and has, according to its Facebook page, now started its closing sale. I'm not sure how long that will last (apparently through 30 June for sure), so I am listing the closing date as July 2018 for now.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath Roberts)

I have tried to go to The Mouse Trap three times, but in the event only managed it once.

The first time was years ago, probably the early 80s, and I just could not find the place. I had seen it once at that point, and knew it was in the office complex off Forest Drive, but after driving around twenty minutes or so, I gave it up as a bad job and went somewhere else. (Was it originally at a different location in this plaza? Because I have no problem now).

The second time was with some folks from the CS department at USC during a homecoming event. No problem finding it this time (I may have been following someone) and the food was fine, though I have very little memory of it.

The third time was a year or two ago when I decided, Hey, it's been 10 or 15 years; time for another visit!, but it turned out to be one of those places that close between "lunch" & "dinner".

Anway, they are now closed for remodeling. The inside looks a bit torn up and there is a storage container out back, so I think work has started, though the sign doesn't give any ETA.

(Hat tip to commenter Midnight Rambler)

UPDATE 30 January 2019 -- As reported in the comments, this is open again:

When I did the closing for Latino's Bar & Grill in this location, it appeared they were setting up to open as an urban club Nuvo Rest.Bar. However, I don't think that ever actually happened. I could be wrong, of course, but I drive this stretch of Percival at least several times a month, and I don't recall ever seeing the building lit up under that name.

At any rate, they are now definitely open as Main Event Sports Bar.

UPDATE 28 March 2019: Add map icon.

I believe the only reason this former banquet hall is counted as being on Bush River Road is that it predates the massive re-working of the area which was entailed by I-26 coming through. (If I'm right, the same work eventually put paid to Boardwalk Plaza). At any rate it is certainly not "on" Bush River Road now.

I don't know much about the place other than the the LoopNet listing says it was built in 1975, and it was listed in phonebooks up through the February 2014 one.

I would have thought that there would have been enough traffic going to the Days Inn to keep the taggers and vandals mostly off of this property, but apparently not.

I'm forgetting what this place used to be called, but it has only been One Main for a few years. At one point, they apparently had my P.O. Box, and I still get important looking mail for them 15 years later..

They left the Forest Park shopping center (if it indeed is still called that) a month or so ago, and have moved into the old VK Nails location across from Richland Mall.

There seems to be a little online confusion about the address here, but I'm pretty sure it's 7735 Broad River Road, as that is what the real estate listing and LoopNet say, regardless of what google thinks otherwise.

As you can see from the first two shots (from the Ed Robinson closing) this old-school convenience store was still in operation on 20 February 2018. At some point between then and 28 May 2018 when commenter Andrew reported it, the place closed and had the pump island and canopy torn down (and excavated).

Although I have seen places with two ongoing Circle Ks across the street from each other, most likely this one closed when the more modern one at 7710 Broad River Road came online just a bit nearer to the I-26 intersection:

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

UPDATE 23 June: Adding Kangaroo Express & KC Express to the post title based on the comments.

UPDATE 25 June: Adding The Pantry based on the comments.

UPDATE 29 March 2023: This property has been sold as of December 2022 to MaxLiving which

Focuses on chiropractic and a natural, holistic approach to help people better understand and manage their current and long-term health.

Also adding map icon and updating tags.

UPDATE 9 May 2023 -- The place has been gutted in preparation for the new MaxLiving incarnation:

UPDTATE 5 June 2024 -- MaxLiving is open:

As reported by commenter Ralph, HobbyTown USA, home of

Radio Control, Models, Rockets, Games & Toys and more!

has left Two Notch Road for the former Tuesday Morning location at The Clusters Of Whitehall:

At one time, I was very into model rockets, having only the slight problem that my father was adamantly against my ever having any (I believe now, having read more, that he was probably thinking of "amateur rocketry" from the 50s where people would regularly manage to blow themselves up rather than "model rocketry"). There used to be a store on Forest Drive with either Centauri or Estes rockets, and a store at Boozer with both if I recall correctly, and I would go to look whenever I could. In the end, he kind of had to agree when it was an approved school project, but darned if one guy didn't manage to set the polo field on fire anyway..

All of which is to say, I'm sure I would be checking out out HobbyTown if I were still 14!

(Hat tip to commenter Ralph)

I've never had a Larry's sub, and now I guess I won't, or at least not in Lexington. According to their Facebook page, their franchaise agreement had run its course and they opted not to renew for a 15 year term.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

Hmm. When I saw the signs being changed out at this NBSC driving by Trenholm Plaza today, I assumed that the bank had been bought out recently and I just had not heard of it (I don't bank there, so in general, I wouldn't).

As it actually turns out, according to Wikipedia, NBSC has always been a local nameplate for Synovus (nee: Columbus Bank and Trust Company), which operated under different names in different states and

In early 2010, Synovus consolidated their thirty separate state charters into one Georgia state banking charter and is transitioning to operate as a more centralized single bank.

I guess they are doing South Carolina now.

UPDATE 21 June 2018 -- Check the comments for some details, but apparently the Wikipedia info about is, at best, imcomplete. NBSC was apparently originally a local bank and not part of Synovus until (historically speaking) recently.

I made my annual trek to the Charlotte Heroes Convention last Saturday, and spent the whole four hours I was there on the convention floor, trying to see every booth. Certainly a far cry from a couple of rooms in the Woodlawn Holiday Inn as it was in the beginning!

Of course, Charlotte being Charlotte, I found that the parking lot I had used for the last 10+ years was just a (deep) hole in the ground now, so I had to find another, which was luckily close enough to not risk getting lost.

I know Chris Claremont was there, but I did not make it to his (or any) presentations though I did see SC's Roy Thomas at a booth on the floor. Stan Lee was not there this year, and news stories suggest he's not doing very well unfortunately.

I think Harley Quinn continues to be the most popular costume, and of course where there's Harley, there will be Ivy as well. I saw one Mera whom I don't recall seing before (and with a fork for a trident). I didn't see any Groots or Gamoras this year...

Swag:

For the first time this year, I didn't see any booth with old pulp magazines (though I could have missed some), and very few with old paperbacks.

Anway..

Hartness was at a Columbia con a few years ago pushing his Black Knight Chronicles books, vampire action tales set in Charlotte. I found them entertaining, so I bit when he was there at Heroes Con with a new series about Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter, which is apparently also set in Charlotte and ties back into the original Dracula. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it's on the list.

Crockett Johnson is remembered mostly today (if at all) for his series of children's books about Harold and his magical purple crayon. But before that, he wrote this WWII era comic strip about the put-upon young boy Barnaby who is dragged into all types of unlikely situations by his well meaning but incompent fairy godfather Mr. O'Malley.

"Cushlamocree!"

Don't know anything about these two, but one was pitched to me as Star Trek with funny animals, and the other was free.

This was pitched by the author who was quite enthusiastic and loquacious. I came away a little unsure if it was a fantasy of some sort or a period murder mystery. I'll find out eventually.

The pitch here was for "70s late nite drive-in vampire feature..".

I'm a sucker for anything with "Doc" in the title.

You will believe water can flow uphill..

Pirate booty! (Yeah, I think I used that joke last year..)

I'm a sucker for surrealism too, though the contents seem to be not quite what I expected.