Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

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After this place tried and failed to open as Nuvo Rest.Bar, it opened as Main Event Sports Bar.

Driving by several times recently during the hours you would expect a sports bar to be open, I have come to the conclusion this place is now gone as well.

I did not know that a consignment shop had gone into the Cromer's location until commenter JamesR mentioned that it had closed. Looking at the web site which is still up for now, it seems to have been several steps up from Goodwill.

This is an interesting looking building and I wonder what it was built for. I'm guessing not for Cogdill since they are not in this front section at all.

(Hat tip to commenter JamesR)

The de-branching of American banks continues with this Wells Fargo location at the southeast corner of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard being the latest example to feature here.

I had actually been inside this bank, as my sister and I took care of some shared business there. It was what you would expect, and a perfectably acceptable experience. The place is also actually a little easier to get in and out of than you would think, as there is a back exit to a road paralleling Forest drive behind the mirror buildings that brings you back out at a more convenient location.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 1 May 2019: Updated tags.

UPDATE 15 August 2019 -- As mentioned in the comments, this building has now been razed:

UPDATE 19 June 2023 -- For some reason, they are dropping this lot to street level before building. Perhaps they want an entrance directly onto Beltline?

UPDATE 8 August 2023: According to several local media stories, such as this from the Post & Courier, this is to be a 7Brew coffee location. They don't mess around with building those either, apparently. This lot was vacant yesterday, and today they have the prefab building already delivered and ready to be installed:

UPDATE 15 August 2023 -- The new kiosk is settled in:

UPDATE 2 March 2024 -- The 7 Brew coffee shop is up and running, and construction on a Prisma Health Urgent Care seems nearly done:

I noticed when I was in the Columbia Mall food court recently that China Max was closed. It's been quite a while since I was at the mall last, so I'm just tagging the date as 2018 for lack of anything more precise. I presume this China Max was connected with the China Max at Richland Mall, but I don't know for sure.

What I find especially interesting is the sign proclaiming that the place will soon be a King's Pizza. This pizza chain seems to be making a big splash all of a sudden, with a store on Forest Drive in the former Charlie's Wings, one opening here, and one opening in the old Chickadee's Diner on Marshall Street.

I don't know much about autoPROS Columbia other than that it was a used car dealership, and had an idiosyncratic sense of capitalization and word spacing. This space was previously Stivers Subaru, which closed in 2011. After that, I think the spot was vacant a few years before autoPROS moved in, and probably will be again now.

(Hat tip to commenter Matt)

UPDATE 11 July 2019 -- Now American Car Center:

I did not realize until I googled Portfolio that these pictures are of the back side of the gallery: 2007 Devine Street. I'll have to get some pictures of the main entrance next time I am in the area.

I am always nervous to go into commercial art galleries because I know that although I like art a good bit, there is approximately a zero percent chance that I will buy another painting I have no place to hang. I am particularly afraid of being the only potential customer in the store and having to dissapoint the owner. Of course there are a lot of topics like this that I'm neurotic about. So anyway, I never went into Portfolio but The State story on the closing makes it sound quite an interesting place which had been there since 1980. The owner is going on to a well deserved retirement.

(Hat tip to commenter Summer)

UPDATE 6 April 2020 -- Here's one more picture, from 1 February 2015:

The Free Times calls Local Yocal a "bodega" syle store. I've never been really sure what that word means, but here it seems to have applied to an upscale bar with takeout food and groceries if I am getting the gist of it.

I'm a bit confused about one thing. While this is the first time I have done a closing for 1712 Main Street, I have done several for next door 1710 Main Street. Looking at those old posts (which you can do by clicking the 1710 link), it appears that the Local Yocal storefront at 1712 has somehow just appeared between 1710 and the next storefont down. Or maybe it's just late.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

It seems to me that at one time, The Backpacker was on Rosewood. I have some memory of buying some dehydrated hamburgers there before a Scout camping trip. Either the owner or someone who had charge of the branded van also lived down the street for a number of years, but I don't recall specifically ever meeting them.

I am generally of the opinion that we invented civilization so as to not spend a lot of time out in the woods without a roof overhead, but to each his own, and there are some avid campers in the family (though not in the Columbia branch). At any rate, I liked the idea that if I ever had to rough it again, I knew where to go.

The State has the story, and the history of the store, which dates back to 1973.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

According to Wikipedia, which has what seems to be a reasonable summary, Charlotte Russe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 4 February 2019, in the event, no rescue was forthcoming, and the chain announced on 7 March 2019 that it would be closing all its stores.

There are two Charlotte Russe stores in the Midlands. This one at Columbia Mall and another at Columbiana Centre. The Columbia Mall store is centrally located on the upper level, in between the old Dillards and Macy's above the mall's center court.

I'm not sure what's going on with the lights dangling down in center court. I guess they could be leftover Christmas lights. At any rate, I'm sure they would be more attractive if they were lit rather than hanging there dark like that.