Big Thursday, 5135 Sunset Boulevard: 28 February 2013 7 comments
The name Big Thursday refers back to an old Columbia tradition of hosting the Carolina/Clemson game at USC on a Fall Thursday. It was before my time, but apparently was quite the thing and schools would even get the day off. (We used to get a day off for the State Fair too -- go figure). I'm not sure if it dated back to my Grandfather's time, but Thursday or not I know he swore he would never give Clemson one red dime because they made him come to Columbia and sleep in a tent on game day when he was there. (Clemson was basically a military school at the time, I believe).
You have to wonder if naming a store after something that fewer and fewer people can actually remember is a good idea, and in the event, perhaps not as this USC and Clemson memorabilia chain closed shop at the end of last month.
(Hat tip to commenter TahoeChic)
7 Responses to 'Big Thursday, 5135 Sunset Boulevard: 28 February 2013'
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JBL
11 Mar 13 at 12:51 am
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Clemson University's wiki page has a section dedicated to the military heritage.
The last year of the 'Big Thursday' games was 1959. Granted, there are still plenty of baby boomers living among us (and some from earlier generations as well) that may remember the Big Thurdsay games, but as time marches along, it becomes a faded memory the way so many other things from that time period are.
Andrew
12 Mar 13 at 12:36 am
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Really sad to see Big Thursday go, I own many things from there. I started shopping with them years ago when they had their kiosks in Columbiana Centre. They also had a store on Harbison in the Target shopping center, and Sandhills that I know of. I have shopped at all of them at one time or another.
I'd guess their closing might have had something to do with Jewelry Warehouse opening their specialized Carolina and Clemson stores across the street from the Lexington location of Big Thursday, as well as in Harbison. I have only been in the Jewelry Warehouse stores a handful of times, as I preferred the smaller atmosphere at Big Thursday and the prices were usually better there too. For a while, you could only get the Palmetto themed stuff at Big Thursday, but when Jewelry Warehouse opened up a Palmetto themed store as well, and I think that was probably the writing on the wall for Big Thursday. I think Jewelry Warehouse has successfully cornered the market in Columbia as far as that type of thing goes.From the looks of Big Thursday's Facebook page, it looks like the Sandhills store was the last to close, and maybe the decision was made suddenly, as there are many people asking about items they ordered and paid for which they had not yet received. I know my husband thinks I single-handedly support the retail market here in Lexington , but I guess I didn't do enough for Big Thursday. LOL
TahoeChic
12 Mar 13 at 9:02 am
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I graduated from Clemson in 2011 and all the students still know the significance of Big Thursday. Maybe the memory is fading but Clemson and USC students will remember as it is always brought up when you are in school.
j
12 Mar 13 at 8:50 pm
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I graduated from the Univ. of SC in Aug. 2012 and don't recall Big Thursday being mentioned there (unless it was somewhere within the University's life I was unfamiliar with)
Andrew
12 Mar 13 at 9:37 pm
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It was the employee's. Been in the store three times and never a smile or asked if we needed help. Tried to ask some questions about items I was looking for and got the deer in the headlights look.
Theo
19 Mar 13 at 9:08 pm
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It looks like Kay Jewelers will be setting up shop here...
Andrew
17 Aug 13 at 3:41 am
Big Thursday did take place during the fair, I believe.
Just my opinion, but I'll bet the name didn't contribute to the closing. Maybe it did, though.
And as far as Clemson being "basically a military school at the time," a little bit of an understatement. Clemson sent more commissioned officers to serve in WWII than any other institution other than West Point and Texas A&M!