Devine Street Book Mart, 4610 Devine Street: 1970s 8 comments
Commenter Melanie found these matchbook images from a place I have no memory of. 4610 Devine Street does not currently exist. Ruby Tuesday is at 4600 Devine Street, and Checkmax Payday Advance is at 4624 Devine Street. I know they have done a lot of work in the past on the streets in this area. I believe 4610 must have been torn down to make the entrance street into the new-ish plaza which houses Ruby Tuesday, Staples and Bi-Lo (I know the Pizza Hut in that area was torn down). In fact, if that street had been there originally, you would expect Ruby Tuesday and Checkmax to have different block numbers. (As an aside, I'm a little surprised to find that these are all Devine addresses -- I had thought that Garners Ferry started here, but in fact it's apparently at Rosewood).
Anyway, it's obvious from the matchbook that this place was one of the adult book stores which have been in various parts of Columbia since the late 60s, I suppose. In fact, Fort Jackson Boulevard which runs into Devine in this area used to have a number of racy operations.
Hat Tip: Melanie
8 Responses to 'Devine Street Book Mart, 4610 Devine Street: 1970s'
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ChiefDanGeorge
23 Aug 09 at 6:17 am
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That block had a Putt Putt, a Hardee's, a motel with a pretty upscale (for the neighborhood) restaurant called the Swamp Fox Inn, and a big old house that had been turned into an animal hospital. Those big trees in Bi Lo's parking lot were in the yard of the house.
Across the street, where Applebee's and the gas station are now, was a big ugly cement building that was a screen printing operation very similar to Velvetex, called Central Advertising.
Dennis
23 Aug 09 at 7:44 pm
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The motel was called "The Host of America" (probably a reference to all the visitors who came to Ft. Jackson) and was a part of the Best Western chain. It was a two story drive up motel and was still nice in the late 1980s.
I am not exactly sure when the motel was built, but I am thinking late 60s-early 70s.
Tom
24 Aug 09 at 8:54 am
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Gene's Pig 'n Chick and the Midway Kennels were in that same stretch, too.
Cary
27 Aug 09 at 5:25 pm
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The entire hotel's rooms were dismantled and reassembled as the America's Best Value Inn behind Hardees mid to late 80's.
Frank
14 Aug 11 at 6:46 am
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Here's the writeup from The State showing that Bi-Lo opened up at Crossroads Commons (4464 Devine Street) on November 3, 1993:
BI-LO 'S DEVINE STREET STORE IS PROTOTYPE FOR GROCERY CHAIN
State, The (Columbia, SC) - Thursday, November 11, 1993
Author: Dewanna Lofton, Staff Writer
Bi-Lo has opened its 14th store in the Columbia market. The 38,000-square- foot store located at 4464 Devine St. opened Nov. 3.The new, state-of-the-art grocery store with its blue and red color scheme is a prototype for Bi-Lo stores of the future, said Tony Williams, store manager.
Open 24 hours a day, the store has full-service floral, cheese and seafood shops and a deli/bakery.
Also a customer service center offers photo processing, Western Union, UPS and money orders.
"We are an everyday low-price operator, and convenience, plus things such as our seafood shop and quality produce" will allow the store to compete, said Joyce Smart, Bi-Lo public affairs manager.
The Devine Street Bi-Lo is located within a couple of miles of three of the Top 10 supermarkets in the country -- Kroger, Food Lion and Winn-Dixie, Williams said.
Smart said Bi-Lo market research found that there was a need for another grocery store in the area.
"Service and store conditions" will set Bi-Lo apart from the competition, said Williams, a 10-year veteran at Bi-Lo .
The new store has about 120 employees.
Mauldin-based Bi-Lo employs about 16,000 people and has 191 stores in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
© 1993 The State
Andrew
14 Aug 11 at 1:30 pm
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@Frank, where is the Hardees you're referencing??
Andrew
14 Aug 11 at 2:19 pm
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Sorry, Hardees, 120 Veterans Road near I-77.
Frank
15 Aug 11 at 6:37 am
The Putt Putt was in the Ruby Tuesdays area as well. I don't know when Putt Putt opened but I wonder if they knocked down that building to build it.