Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

While I was in Springdale last weekend getting some Jewelry Warehouse pictures, I noticed this building set well back from the road. For some reason, perhaps the parking sign for the adjacent business, I expected I would find that it was some sort of lawn & garden store, but a little googling reveals it as the site of several light industrial operations, both in construction and fishing. (Google also claims 3142 is the Springdale Shopping Center, but I think that must be the strip mall on the next lot).

Note the stone facade on the porch of the building. You don't see too much of that anymore.

Well, it's back to Airport Tec Plaza for this closing.

Blimpie is not a chain I've ever tried, though I like subs. I think that's probably because a lot of its locations tend to be in gas-station/convenience stores, and that sort of devalues a brand for me. I do have to give them props for suggesting a non-submarine referent for their sandwiches however.

At any rate, this location anchored the east end of the same little strip mall where Marino's Bistro was

I was unaware of Marino's Bistro, or indeed of this whole little strip mall near the Airport on Platt Springs Road, until recently.

I like the sign for the plaza, which has a sort of retro look without trying too hard. I don't know anything about Marino's itself, other than that it sounds Italian, which is always an indicator that I will have a better than average chance of liking a place. I'm putting the closing date as February, as the new phone books (which you can see outside the door -- one of the common sights of a closing) came out then.

(Hat tip to commenter fourlizards.)

As is the case with most non-national Mexican restaurants, Don Pedro was not the first restaurant operation in this building. To me it has sort of a Howard Johnson look to it, but I could be wrong. At any rate, the building is sited at, though not affiliated with, the Travellers Inn motel at the intersection of Airport Boulevard and I-26. I never made it to Don Pedro since I figured it would be about the same as a number of closer Mexican establishments. (Though the Free Times link below associates it with the Don Pedro on Two Notch which was supposed to be quite good).

I give 2006 as the closing date since it showed up in the Free Times Bites & Sights guide for 2006, but apparently no other year, and was not in the Feb 2007 phonebook.