Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Commenter Matt points out that the Pope Davis on the corner of Taylor and Millwood has closed.

This was one of those open-air auto operations that you don't see much anymore -- certainly no more in this style are being built. (And some, like this have been knocked down.)

You can stll see the Bundrick's label scar on the awning. The building is still apparently owned by Pope Davis as it has not been emptied, and as yet there is no For Sale sign.

(Hat top to commenter Matt)

I noticed on my latest trip to Very's that the hydroponic gardening store in the same Two Notch plaza, All Good Hydroponics was gone and a thrift store was in its spot. The phonebook suggests that this happened sometime last year as they don't list in the 2014 edition.

For me, the term hydroponics has always reeked of science fiction as it was a common element in many books about life on space ships and space stations. Usually it was described as a thankless task that got assigned to hapless crew memebers as KP was assigned in books about army life. Visually, I would always think about those trays the Robinsons would grow food in on Lost In Space during those long planet-bound blocks of episodes where the budget didn't allow any actual spaceflight effects...

I noticed when I was taking pictures of Cycle Center that this adjacent Sammi's Deli had also closed, presumably due to the same fire.

It appears to me that some work has gone on, or is going on to rehabilitate the space. There are no signs indicating one way or the other, but perhaps this place will be back eventually.

Checking my phonebooks, I see that Advance On Checks goes back at least to 2005, which really surprised me as I had not noticed in all that time that Hursey's Trading Post was gone. I never stopped in there, but I remember the signs that cheerfully promised loans on any item "except guns".

The real estate listing says this little building at the southwest corner of Two Notch & Beltline dates back to 1960, and looking at it, I can believe that. I also believe it must have been some sort of restaurnat at one time, but I have absolutely no memory of what it might have been.

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Commenter Patrica Lewis points out that Cycle Center in Spring Valley Commons is closed.

The sign explains that the location was rendered infeasible by the fire last October (2013) which did a lot of direct damage to the East wing of the plaza and indirect damage here.

Rebuilding is continuing on the east wing and Tripp's Cleaners and the storage facility have reopened.

(Hat tip to commenter Patricia Lewis)

I did a building closing for Prestige Hitech Autowerks when they moved from their old location on Two Notch near Fontaine into the old Dick Dyer Body Shop location at Two Notch and Windover. That was around August 2013, so they lasted a bit over a year in the new location.

In the meantime, as I noted here, the follow-on business at their old location has closed as well.

(Hat tip to commenter David Lee)

I did not know that Arizona's was a chain, but they had at least two restaurants in South Carolina, one here at Sandhill and the other in Greenville. Both were bought out in late July by a North Carolina outfit and rebranded as JP's 4 Corners.

When Arizona's opened, I looked over the menu, and could not see a reason to go, and so never did.

Apparently the general concept has not changed a lot:

Looking at the menu, I get the same feeling I had looking at Arizona's menu: How is this Southwestern?

Western, I certainly see, but I thought Southwestern was supposed to have a dash of Mexican. That's got to be more than just invoking chipolte in a sauce. The Free Times in fact lists JP's under Mexican, but don't see it.

(Hat tip to commenter Jason)

O-23..

This former bingo hall is in the strip on Two notch which backs up againgst the original Best Buy and has stoplight access at the Columbia Mall perimeter road. Interestingly, Best Buy itself has no access to this stoplight. It always surprised me a little that they didn't negotiate some sort of cut through for that..

Apparently Bingo is, or at least was, pretty popular in Dentsville, as this place is only a few blocks from this former parlor on O'Neil Court.

Note the phone number -- It's not PENNsylvania Sixty-Five Oh Oh Oh, but it's close.

This agency seems to be gradually moving to Camden.

They moved to this location from here, further up Two Notch around 2010, and have now moved out to just across from Big Lots near Spring Valley: