Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

In keeping with yesterday's theme, here's another Pitt Stop closing. This one is at I-26 exit 119 at the intersection with US-176. This whole strip is closed now, but over the years has acted as a mini-travel-plaza, with gas, a convenience store (possibly with trucker showers), and attached restaurants. The restaurants have included Maggie May's and Nathan's, and the gas pumps have been branded first as Exxon and in the end as Shell.

There appears to be some road-work ongoing on Rolling Meadows Lane, as you can see from several of the pictures. I'm not sure if that's what drove this closing, or it is just coincidental (certainly the location was not robust, at least for restaurants).

UPDATE 21 February 2024 -- In fact the roadwork is taking over this space, and Rolling Meadows Lane is now completely closed:

This Pitt Stop was across from Lowes almost at the intersection of Two Notch with I-20 East. I have stopped there once or twice over the years, but not more often because it is a bit of a pain to get in and out of. The place is a bit interesting because the property has a former automatic carwash which was repurposed into a seperate car detailing business. It's not clear to me what will happen to that long-term, but for now, it looked like it were still open.

I'm not sure when the place closed (other than on or before 10 January), but it is recent enough that the sign is still lit with the final gas price, the banners are still up by the road, and the pumps are still in place.

(Hat tip to commenter AvidReader)

UPDATE 26 Jan 2024: Commenter Tom points out that this building was an Exxon before becoming a Pitt Stop / Sunoco, so I have added that to the post title.

UPDATE 24 June 2024 -- A bit of entrepreneurship going on in the old parking lot:

Well, that was quick, dang it!

I had some inchoate plans to finally get to Rockaway either for supper last Friday, or lunch last Saturday, but in the event the news of the closing spread so quickly, and the crowds were so thick that the club ran out of supplies several days in advance of their announced 21 January closing date.

Rockaway Athletic Club was one of those places I would think about two or three times a year and decide: Oh yeah, I've finally got to try that place out, but in the event I managed to go decades without ever stopping by and having the famous Pimento Burger, and now it's too late.

The State has the story, as does The Free Times.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

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There is some confusion on the street address of this former Taco Bell on Decker. It was apparently previously listed as 2632 (and I have pictures with that address posted in the window), but is now 2652.

Charlie's Wings was the follow-on in this spot to Feel Goods. I'm not exactly sure when they closed. The last post on their Facebook page is from 2019, but they have Yelp reviews into 2021, so I'm going to put that in the post title.

The reason that I noticed Charlie's was gone is that a new operation is now open in the space, a "Korean style Chicken" restaurant: 92 Chicken.

I'm not sure this property is technically part of Sparkleberry Square, but it's at least an outparcel, and closed in December. I never stopped here, although I noticed it was the cheapest gas in the area a few times recently, because it looked like it would be a pain to come out of and go west.

These pictures were taken Christmas Eve, and it already looked like the tanks were about to be taken up then -- I have not driven by since.

(Hat tip to commenter Rashaad)

It's definitely not ice cream weather tonight, but summer is coming -- eventually!

Ice Cream Taco was in this little strip mall on Sunset which has seen a number of things come and go over the last few years. I don't seem to have a closing for the previous operation in this suite, but as of 2014 when I did a cloing for Alibaba's, it was apparently recently vacated. According to The State, Ice Cream Taco opened here in March of 2022, and I actually learned something from the article. My assumption had been that the store name referred to some sort of frozen novelty served in sugar tacos rather than sugar cones, but in actuality, the place serves regular, hot, tacos -- and ice cream.

In November, they relocated to 2708 Emanuel Church Road.

(Hat tip to commenter Brian)

I noticed that this beauty supply store in one of the many small strip malls on Decker last month was posting a closing sign. I don't know anything about it, but the building is one of those designs you don't see anymore.

This restaurant storefront near New Brookland Baptist has been a number of home-cooking themed operations over the years, most recently previous to this I believe it was JackSon's Southern Kitchen.

Olde Country Buffet moved here from the former Happy China location in the Food Lion plaza further down sunset. That was written up here, as was the August 2022 Grand Opening here.

Then in October of 2023, the Lexington Chronicle noted that the restaurant appeared to have been closed for at least a month.

And finally, it appears that the owner got into some legal trouble over taxes and was arrested as detailed here, though the restaurant was closed well before that happened.

(Hat tip to commenter Matt)