Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well this is unfortunate. While I wouldn't say I was a regular at this spot, I did like to get a JJ BLT and eat at the outside tables from time to time during good weather. I guess Groucho's will do that duty from now on.

UPDATE 14 November 2022 -- Add the first two pictures, of Jimmy Johns in operation from the First Cellular closing.

Irmo Lunch spot Fire and Spice on Woodrow Street has closed. They were the follow-on operation in this storefront to China Pearl and, looking at their Facebook, it seems they will be succeeded by Roy's Grille, which is moving here from Lexington.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

I got a bit of a surprise today when I decided I wanted a JJ BLT for lunch.

It seems that yesterday, somebody drove a car into the front of the Woodhill Jimmy John's. I presume it was an accident, since you would not expect to find a lot of cash in a sandwich shop. According to the door sign, nobody was hurt, which is the important thing, and they expect to reopen as quickly as possible.

UPDATE 28 September 2022: This location is open again. Also updating tags.

Pita Pit on Main Street featured here two years ago, and I was unaware at the time that there was a Five Points location.

It appears that this one, just up the hill a bit from Papa Jazz may have closed previously and then come back under new ownership. It looks to have gotten good reviews, but to have closed sometime this Spring. (There is no date on the door sign).

(Hat tip to commenter Deanna)

Substation II was the follow-on operation in this storefront to Jimmy John's, and opened in 2019. I know that going there would be an issue for me because of parking, but I'm not a student without a car. Then of course there was the pandemic, which can't have helped. For whatever reason though, this storefront is now again vacant.

(Hat tip to commenter Larry).

UPDATE 14 June 2024: Update title & tags.

I was unfamiliar with this healthy eatery on Two Notch near Popeye's, but I do note that the storefront has featured here twice before as both Jimmy John's and Quiznos. I was a little surprised that they featured pizza, next door to a Papa Johns, but I suppose they had a dine in space to make that make sense.

As you can see, the interior is being actively torn down, so that may mean that the next idea for this spot is already on the way.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Hat)

UPDATE 1 March 2023 -- Now The Baked Potato Factory:

I am pretty sure that It's A Wrap Cafe in Topspin Plaza never opened. According to ColaDaily, they were trying to move here from Atlanta in 2020 -- probably about the worst time since the Great Depression to open a restaurant. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but in the end they are back in Atlanta, with this comment on their Facebook:

It’s a lot of you that seem to think we’re posting from South Carolina! We are IN ATLANTA!!! Link in bio! SOUTH Carolina missed out because they…. 😩 we will just say it wasn’t in GODS plan! 😉

So apparently they took the long way round, but it seems to be working out for them, so good. In the meantime, this storefront is available.

I did not get around to getting pictures of this Sparkleberry Square Firehouse Subs location (sometimes known as Firehouse Subs Spring Valley) until all the signage was down and the building was fenced off. It seems likely to me that it is to be torn down though there are no signs up for whatever is to come.

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

UPDATE 28 January 2022 -- The canopy for the forthcoming Kroger gas station is up:

UPDATE 22 February 2022 -- Well the Kroger gas station is up and running. That was pretty quick!

This is yet another downtown place of which I was unaware. While I was unlikely to be in the market for a casserole, looking at their web site and menu, it appears I could have had a very nice lunch there.

The last message on their Yelp page is from 26 October 2020, so they made it through the start of the pandemic, but apparently not to the end of the year.

I like the brick facade, glass bricks and columns on this building, though I am not sure that the "eye in the pyramid" topwork really suits the rest of it.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

I tried to get a daytime shot of The Pita Pit, but ended up with no parking and someone on my bumper. Actually, there was still no parking even at night, but at least I could stop for these two shots.

Pita Pit on Main, and apparently another location in Five Points, closed on 16 March due to COVID-19. I'm not sure about the Five Points store, but this one is now up for sale, so it won't be coming back.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

UPDATE 9 June 2022: Changing the post title and text to remove "The" from in front of "Pita Pit".