Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I could be wrong, but I don't think I've ever been down Wayne Street before, but after commenter Justin called out this address, I went to take a look. I don't know if Columbia Cooling & Heating has closed or just moved, but if there is a new address, google is not turning it up, and as far as I can tell they don't have a web site.

I really was not aware this part of Columbia even existed until I started this blog. I used to kind of wonder why Columbia didn't have a downtown section with houses like those in Fernandina Beach Florida, or Georgetown SC, even though the city was old enough. Shandon is nice, but not quite the same thing. It turns out it does, on the streets North of Elmwood & West of Main. It's an interesting area!

You can see a photo of this place in operation here.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

Steam & Ice seems to have been a coffee, smoothie, dessert & milkshake shop. Among other things, they were know for milkshakes topped with cotton-candy (which there is no way I can imagine liking, but your milage may vary), boba-tea, and acai bowls.

From what I can tell, they closed around January of 2020, so before the pandemic. Looking at the reviews, it appears that people liked it when it was open, but that there were ongoing staffing and early closing issues before the shutdown.

Bone-In was the only restaurant in the Bull Street stadium complex, for which big things have often been promised. They announced in early February of 2020 that they were terminating regular meal service, but would still be open for special events. By the end of the month that had changed to being completely closed, though they would still be doing catering.

I took these pictures on 13 September 2020, and while I was driving around the State Hospital area, I noticed a burnt out looking building and a WLTX news crew. Apparently someone set the old Babcock building on fire Saturday morning. Last I saw, they are now looking for persons of interest.

(Hat tips to commenters Beth & Heath).

I have written about The State a number of times. For instance in this post, I note how anemic the second millennium State looks compared to the 1973 State. I am pretty sure I did a post when they started renting out parts of their headquarters when they could no longer fully occupy it though I can't find it now.

I was going to do a post when they announced they would no longer print a Saturday paper, but never got around to it. Now, however, they have completely vacated their Shop Road headquarters, and have moved printing out of the city, to Charlotte. Their headline:

tries to put a positive spin on it by putting some good news first, but the second part of that is pretty major. If the paper is printed in Charlotte, and the inserts are done in Raleigh, then as far as I can tell, that means the print edition has to be printed in Charlotte, trucked to Raleigh, trucked from Raleigh to Columbia and then put out for home delivery. Since their commitment is that delivery times will not change, that means the paper will have to be put to bed extremely early. I don't see how that can possibly compete with other news sources. I don't take the paper, so I could be wrong. I wonder if those of you who do take it have noticed a difference.

The same story said The State would move from Shop Road "this fall", but the branding is already off the building, as you can see, and it seems to me they have already moved (though I am not sure to where).

LoopNet has some more details, as well as a really nice picture of the building with the branding still up:

±3,500 to 60,000 square feet of premier office space available for lease. Close proximity to the CBD, University of South Carolina, and the booming Southeast Columbia Industrial Market. Fully secured building with on-site security and key card access throughout. Recently renovated with upgraded, modern finishes. Available space features dedicated reception at entry, which includes ample space for file storage and would allow for easy access to customers or clients. Access to two (2) conference rooms, one of which has an excellent view of Williams Brice Stadium. Cafeteria service via an industrial-grade kitchen. Large dining area and access to a state-of-the-art fitness center! Three Passenger Elevators and One Freight Elevator.

Stop the presses.

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

See here for the story.

Apparently we have another COVID-19 casualty here. New York & Company announced on 28 July 2020 that:

store closing sales have begun at all New York & Company retail locations across the United States. The firms are conducting liquidation sales across approximately 380 store locations in connection with the recent bankruptcy filing of New York & Company's parent company, RTW Retailwinds, Inc. ("RTW").

New York & Company is a specialty women's fashion retailer which offers modern, multi-functional wear-to-work apparel at affordable prices. As part of the sale, customers can expect initial discounts of up to 60% off original prices for all in-store merchandise including women's clothing, accessories and shoes.

USA Today provides a bit more detail:

"The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business, and we expect it to continue to do so in the future," Sheamus Toal, RTW Retailwinds CEO and chief financial officer, said in the release.

So, things weren't great before the plague, but that was the tipping point.

Frankly, I was not aware this store, or the chain, existed, so I can say very little else about it. It is definitely another hit on Sandhill, which really does not need any more problems.

I'm not sure how long, Yummy II has been here, but quite a while I while, I think. Initially I thought there was a real estate sign in the window, but in fact it is simply a placard for the construction company which is doing the asbestos removal and interior demolition.

Google has Yummy II marked as "termporarily closed" so I am going with that in the post title, but the absence of any "See you soon!" type of sign is not a good omen.

(If there is still a Yummy I, I don't know where it is.)

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

UPDATE 9 September 2020: I have taken the "Temporary?" notation off the post title as it appears from the comments while that was the hope for Yummy at the start of the crisis they are now gone and this is to become a Kudzu Bakery. I have been in the Litchfield & Georgetown locations of that chain a few times and recall both of those spaces as larger than this. Also commenter Thomas calls out the previous occupant in this storefront as Little Caesars, so I have added that to the post title.

UPDATE 23 March 2021 -- Kudzu Bakery is now open in this spot:

I was unaware of Bricktown Bistro until commenter Sidney mentioned that it was closing, so I can't say a lot about it other than it is gone. (These pictures were from the final day of operation).

I do notice that the roadside marquee perpetuates the confusion between Hardscrabble & Hard Scrabble that came up here a week or so ago.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

I wasn't aware of this sportsman's gun & thrift store in the old Gamecock Theater, but judging by the pictures on Yelp, it was an interesting place. Looking at the most recent google reviews, it appears they closed down towards the end of July.

I was in this place, once, when it was Resale Revue, and it was obvious that the big room had been a theater, what with the sloping floor and all. I expect that limits the kind of business that can move in without major work.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

This old-school barber shop on Taylor Street is yet another casualty of COVID-19.

It appears they tried to stick it out, but in the end could not make it through the lockdown period.

(Hat tip to commenter Frank Mancuso)

UPDATE 3 September 2020: Commenter John R mentions that this storefront used to be a Krispy Kreme, so I have added that to the post title. I knew there was one somewhere around here. It used to be that when my aunt would come up from Jacksonville on the Silver Star, we would stop here to pick up warm doughnuts to eat while we waited and then continue down to the Seaboard station to meet her train (which would arrive fairly late at night).