Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Crowson Stone is a name that was a constant presence when I was growing up. Since nobody in my family, and in fact nobody I knew ever needed a printer's services, I can only think this was because they (along with R. L. Bryan with whom I often got them confused) advertised constantly on WIS AM.

You don't really hear much of this anymore, but it used to be that a lot of non-retail operations would advertise on the radio. I guess the theory was that while it was unlikely that any given listener would need a printer (and back in the days before digital, that was no casual purchase!) keeping the name out there was good business in the "Oh yeah, I've heard of them, they should be OK" sort of way.

I'm not sure when this building, at the east end of Shop Road, was built. The February 1997 phonebook lists Crowson Ston at 819 Main Street, while the February 2006 book lists both Main Street and Shop Road, so this location probably came online in the early 2000s.

In early 2012 they were bought by Indexx Printing of Greenville, and by the February 2014 phonebook were listing the only the Main Street location again.

(Hat tip to commenter badger)

I did a closing for this Eagle's when it moved from it's old location further down SAR to this spot. Now it appears that they have left Irmo entirely, though they still have stores in the Midlands.

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)

The Greyhound Station on Gervais Street moved earlier this month, and now the buildings on the lot (which included the Chapman Dodge building) have been razed. Unlike the old art deco station downtown on Sumter Street, this one was nothing special, and I'm not sorry to see it gone.

I had a chat with the project manager for the site, and he said the whole block that the station sat on will become apartments.

The new station is at 710 Buckner Road, which is the I-20 frontage road between Monticello Road & US-321.