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The Great Train Store / All Wound Up, Columbiana Centre: July 2000   7 comments

Posted at 1:19 am in Uncategorized

Except for the last one, which I took today, these pictures come from commenter Thomas who writes:

Was going through my photos and I had a few more I wanted to send you.

The Great Train Store: open 11/1996-7/2000.

I worked there from the opening to the closing of the store. It was a great place to work. Ten years later many of the employees still keep in regular touch with each other.

As a store the Columbia store (Store 30) was very successful. The store closed as a result of the failure of the company as a whole. At its largest the Great Train Store had more than 56 stores including SC stores in Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Greenville. The store was located in Columbania Center where Build a Bear is now.

The Columbia store was the second to last store in the chain to close. The Myrtle Beach store (at Broadway at the Beach) closed a week later.

Written by ted on February 20th, 2010

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7 Responses to 'The Great Train Store / All Wound Up, Columbiana Centre: July 2000'

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  1. Is that where Build A Bear is now? Heh i live 7 min from the mall and i bet its been 3 years since i set foot in the place.

    IrmoJeff

    20 Feb 10 at 3:00 am

  2. Don't forget that after the train store they put that pool table, game room store in there. That was there for a while before build a bear.

    Thanks for the memories.

    Chris

    Chris

    20 Feb 10 at 6:45 am

  3. A little after it closed it was a toy store called All Wound Up. I worked there for the season (I think it was Christmas season 2000) it was open and we used the same register island that was in the picture. The store layout was really cool.

    Me

    2 Mar 10 at 12:05 pm

  4. Thanks, I'll add "All Wound Up" to the title.

    ted

    3 Mar 10 at 2:34 am

  5. I miss the trains. If those stores were successful, maybe some local effort can bring the trains back.

    John

    21 Nov 12 at 10:27 pm

  6. I loved the Great Train Store. I still have the Chessie blanket (with the C&O kitten woven into the design) I got there not long after it opened, along with a "C&O For Progress" fridge magnet I bought there. I bought a few things for a pen pal who was a hardcore railfan while that place was open, too. I miss that store; it was always fun to visit and there was always so much there I lusted after.

    Alaska Jill

    23 Nov 12 at 8:35 pm

  7. Does anyone have a wooden carved train whistle?
    My Mom bought it for my kids many years ago.
    My son was like 3 or 4 years old! I still have it!!
    He is now 32 years old now! Wow!!
    Still works great for his kids now!

    Denise

    18 Apr 19 at 9:25 pm

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