Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

UPDATE 23 November 2015 -- That was quick! Open again:

UPDATE 1 June 2018 -- Closed again, and for sale:

I'm not sure when this garage on Alta Vista closed as I can't find it in any of my recent phonebooks under the name on the sign, but I think I would have noticed it before if it were too long ago, so I'm going to say 2015 until someone says different.

As a side note, I never knew the name of this little uphill street which connects Fontaine Road to Shakespeare Road. Alta Vista was the first really useful Internet search engine, put together by the now defunct Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) to showcase their 64 bit Alpha chip. It was very successful, but DEC got into trouble by never fully realizing that the mini-computer was dead and that the PC was a commodity item and went belly up. For some reason, nobody bought the Alta Vista technology (that I am aware of) and the crown passed to Google where it still remains..

UPDATE 6 April 2017 -- Now Royal Automotive:

This tuneup garage in between Bike Street and Prowash was at this location for a number of years, but I'm not sure exactly when it closed or moved. My
phonebooks are sparse that far back, so I can say it was definitely here as of the 1997 book, but by the time of the 2005 book, the listed
address was 2517 Broad River Road, which would be on the other side of Bike Street. However, as you can see in the first photo, t
he signage was still up as of 2010.

Also, notice the same sign in the second picture. The Buy Here, Pay Here verbiage sounds like maybe there was a used car lot on
the property at some point in the interim. Perhaps that black SUV is for sale?

UPDATE 14 March 2016 -- As mentioned in the comments and as shown in this (bad) picture, this place has been demolished and Family Dollar is about to open here:

Commenter Rick sent this picture of his former business some months ago but I was holding onto it until I could dig up some current-ish pictures of the spot for comparison. I actually did take some, but as so often is the case, I can't lay hands on them right now. The ones I did find are from 2011.

Though I must have driven, or been driven, by this spot hundreds of times through the years, I can honestly say I have no recollection whatsoever of this building. I also have no recollection of Harper's being built despite always thinking of it as a "new" place.

Commenter Rick has recently mentioned that X Records was also located on this corner and also knocked down to build Harper's.

(Hat tip to commenter Rick)

UPDATE 1 June 2015: Changed Gas Station in the post title to Gulf Station based on the comments.

I've mentioned the Harden Street and Two Notch locations of Bob Andrews Motors, but I was really unaware that they had this Irmo location on Saint Andrews Road at Seven Oaks Shopping Center.

As is almost mandatory nowdays, the place has become a Title Loan outfit.

(Hat tip to commenter Homer)

Well, I was unhappy to notice this real estate sign. As I mentioned when they moved, my parents always felt that Bob Andrews dealt with them more fairly and competently than the dealer, and that's usually where we took our cars while I was growing up. Still, a 90+ year run is pretty good by any standard.

I think there have been a few mentions of Chapman Dodge here over the years, but I have absolutely no memory of it, despite the fact we must have driven past the lot often. Currently all that seems to be left is the faded name painted on the back of the building abuting the lot (which I presume was the repair shop).

While this lot has been vacant for many years, it's not uncommon for temporary truck-based businesses to pull in and set up shop for a weekend.

This little strip mall is on the downhill side (north) of Two Notch near Sesqui. Custom Car Stereo is listed in the February 2014 phonebook, so it either closed in 2014 or 2013 after listings closed.

UPDATE 13 May 2020: Add tags & map icon.

Commenter Justin pointed out this place on Have Your Say a while back, but I misread the comment and blogged about the business on the other side of Confederate instead.

This place looks to be an old gas station of some sort, and in this latest incarnation, stuck with an auto theme. Personally, though I know my car gets scalding in the Columbia summers, I find being behind tinted windows makes me uneasy.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

Discount Cars & Trucks was the follow-on operation to Go Used Tires in this old Esso building in Dentsville.

I have to say I can't actually recall seeing any cars or trucks there, though I know there must have been some.