Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

This one has been mooted about in Have Your Say for a couple of days now, but Circle K on Bethel Church Road closed today.

This store was once a Kangaroo Express and went to Circle K a few years ago when Kangaroo was bought out. The building is smaller than the new Circle K concept you see in recent construction like Forest Drive & Harbison, plus another convenience store recently opened across the street in the old Ravenwood Pharmacy, neither of which can have helped.

The gas prices were not particularly low here, but I enjoyed the fact that if I filled up here, I didn't have to go out on Forest Drive or elsewhere out of the neighboorhood. I also generally found the ladies at the counter here to be very friendly, and the new coffee machines (as at all CKs) made a quite decent cup.

(Hat tip to commenter Matthew)

UPDATE 12 November 2020: Adding The Pantry & Kangaroo Express to the post title.

UPDATE 18 November 2020 -- As mentioned in the comments, the gas tanks have been excavated as seen in these 17 November pix:

UPDATE 29 March 2023: Updating tags.

This little storefront across from the former Yesterday's on Santee Avenue has been a number of things over the years. Most recently, it was Sunrise Artisan Bath and Body, until they moved into the old Portfolio Art Gallery space on Saluda back in early 2019.

Here is The State story on that move.

I noticed the other evening that this florist, on Two Notch near Spring Valley Antique Mall was gone. I go to florists probably less than once a decade, and never went to this one, so there's not much I can say. I do find the name a bit curious, as it sounds more like a nursery than a flower shop.

Apparently we have another COVID-19 casualty here. New York & Company announced on 28 July 2020 that:

store closing sales have begun at all New York & Company retail locations across the United States. The firms are conducting liquidation sales across approximately 380 store locations in connection with the recent bankruptcy filing of New York & Company's parent company, RTW Retailwinds, Inc. ("RTW").

New York & Company is a specialty women's fashion retailer which offers modern, multi-functional wear-to-work apparel at affordable prices. As part of the sale, customers can expect initial discounts of up to 60% off original prices for all in-store merchandise including women's clothing, accessories and shoes.

USA Today provides a bit more detail:

"The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business, and we expect it to continue to do so in the future," Sheamus Toal, RTW Retailwinds CEO and chief financial officer, said in the release.

So, things weren't great before the plague, but that was the tipping point.

Frankly, I was not aware this store, or the chain, existed, so I can say very little else about it. It is definitely another hit on Sandhill, which really does not need any more problems.

I wasn't aware of this sportsman's gun & thrift store in the old Gamecock Theater, but judging by the pictures on Yelp, it was an interesting place. Looking at the most recent google reviews, it appears they closed down towards the end of July.

I was in this place, once, when it was Resale Revue, and it was obvious that the big room had been a theater, what with the sloping floor and all. I expect that limits the kind of business that can move in without major work.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

I don't have anything more to say on this Stein Mart post than on the last one: They're bankrupt and going out of business.

This particular store is in the Books-A-Million/Food Lion plaza in Lexington and already had their closing signs up when I drove by a few weeks ago.

UPDATE 22 September 2021 -- Now a Spirit Halloween:

UPDATE 16 January 2024 -- To be a Big Air trampoline site:

UPDATE 26 January 2024 -- Big Air is open:

I first wrote about this building when the plans for Fresh Market to open there fell through. After that, and a little scrambling, the Publix supermarket chain decided it would be a good location for their Greenwise concept:

Publix Supermarkets is opening a new type of grocery store in Lexington soon.

“We’re creating a community gathering place where high-quality natural and organic products are at the center of what we offer,” said Publix President Kevin Murphy. “And we’re helping our customers support their healthy lifestyle with convenient in-house prepared meals and grab and go options made from organic and antibiotic-free ingredients.”

The place opened in December of 2019, and will be closing well shy of the one year mark:

Basically it seems the building was just too small, which is unsurprising given the standard Fresh Market footprint.

The employees will have the option to move to local Publix locations, which is nice.

I never went in the store though I was a bit curious and figured I eventually would. I will say however, that I do not like the way the parking and traffic flow for the enclosing strip mall is laid out at all.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

UPDATE 18 June 2022 -- It looks like Prisma Health will be going into this site:

This little off-brand convenience store has been here for as long as I can remember, though I seem to recall it used to be a bit more open-air. We never stopped there while I was growing up, but out of curiosity, I did stop by once when I started driving. What I recall most (I was a teenager) was a big wall-rack of magazines your mother wouldn't want you to look at. I noticed recently that both this and the adjacent ABC store seemed to be closed, and now there is a realty sign on the property (though the co-located beauty store is still open).

Kangaroo was bought out by Circle K several years ago, and in the Midlands, most stores transitioned some time ago.

This one, in Murrells Inlet held on for some reason, though as you can see the gas canopy recently underwent the re-branding. As I was driving by, I noticed the boxed sign out front which would complete the switch, and I expect next time I get down to the area, Kangaroo will have hopped away.

UPDATE 20 August 2020: Add "Reflagged" to the post title to note this is basically a branding change.

As noted by commenter Andrew and others, Stein Mart filed for Chapter 11 on 12 August 2020 and is expected to close most or all of its 281 stores across the country.

This story focuses on the Trenholm Plaza store, pictured above. A list of all of the announced store closings is here.

To the best of my recollection, I have never been inside this store, at least as Stein Mart. It is hard to say after so many years and upfits, but I believe this is the space once occupied by Tapp's Twig, a "smaller than a branch" storefront run by storied local department store Tapp's. If so, I would have been inside a number of times growing up.

Looking at the store closing list, I see the other local store is in Lexington, and I will try to get by before it is gone. In the meantime, the closing sale is already on, so we'll see if this location lasts into September.

(Hat tip to commenter Andew)

UPDATE 21 September 2021 -- Now a Spirit Haloween: