Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I ate here twice for lunch, and both times got sort of a weird vibe and the impression the place wanted to be a night club more than a restaurant. The second time I was there, a girl came out of the kitchen and sat at a nearby table, crying. It was very uncomfortable, and I decided that was it for me.

(Hat tip to commenter David B)

Looks like the Lizard's Thicket remodeling effort that has revamped several of their stores is continuing. This one is at the corner of Knox Abbott Drive & State Street, and was some sort of restaurant before, though not a Shoney's like the Forest Drive and Beltline locations. I've eaten there before, and don't recall any particular building issues, but I guess everything has its time.

UPDATE 8 April 2019 -- I don't have a picture, but this location is open again, and has been for a while.

Well this one, across from Piggy Park and where Airport Boulevard intersects the Charleston Highway, was pretty much inevitable, but the closeout has now officially started.

(Hat tip to commenter Zach)

Colonial Healthcare was the follow-on operation to Blockbuster Video in this location. The first picture above is from May 2017, so they lasted in this spot about a year before apparently running into some difficulty.

(Hat tip to commenter bassplayerguy)

UPDATE 5 October 2020: This is now a dialysis center:

Also adding map icon.

Assuming the next hour goes well...

Locker Room was the follow-up operation in this suite to Corma's Nutritional Supplements & More, which closed in 2015. With both Locker Room and Ed Robinson now recently gone, the building is completely vacant, and I have to wonder if it is long for the world. The building was clearly built as an old-school service station, and I have to think that property on this stretch of Forest Drive leading to the Interstate interchange is too valuable now to leave something like this taking up a lot. (Though I personally like the canopy look).

Back in the days of Speedy McGreedy & Gilbert Giddyup, Hardees was our goto place on road trips because unlike McDonalds or Burger King, they had "chewy" ice in all their stores. That changed sometime in the 70s or 80s, and with them adding chicken, and with me hating the smell of Chicken, I don't think I have eaten there after breakfast in 30 years or so.

This store was co-located with a convenience store/gas station at the I-20/US-378 interchange, and you can still get your burger on there, as both McDonald's and Chili's are still at this exit.

I like the glass blocks, btw.

(Hat tip to commenter Steve)

UPDATE 19 June 2021: Updating tags and adding map icon.

Here's another Rite Aid this one where the River Roads come together at Boozer Shopping Center. I am having a little trouble thinking of a Walgreens within a mile of here, which is the usual closing criteria for this transition.

Apparently the LoopNet folks decided they already had a photo on file and didn't need another one -- that's certainly a blast from the past.

UPDATE 20 June 2021 -- As mentioned in the comments, this place has been razed:

Also adding a map icon.

UPDATE 24 June 2021 -- The canopy for the Murphy USA already going up:

UPDATE 11 August 2021 -- Construction continues:

UPDATE 27 September 2021 -- Getting there (picture from 18 September):

UPDATE 26 February 2022 -- It's open:

Not very good pictures here as I was shooting against the sun, but it's what I have..

This TCBY was just past the closed Rite Aid at 500 West Main Street. The sign says they were open for thirty years, which is definitely a good run.

In fact, that pushes it almost back into the era when TCBY stood for This Can't Be Yogurt instead of The Country's Best Yogurt, or at least that's the way I remember it. The first froyo places had to combat the notion that yogurt was a sour curdled health-food that people in the Soviet Union ate if they wanted to live to be 130..

(Hat tip to commenter ED)