Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Commenter MrBill points out the Cayce "Arby's" is "temporarily closed".

I can't add any explanation to that, but I can say that there were staff inside, busily doing *something*, so I would expect that this closing really is temporary, unlike many so announced.

(Hat tip to commenter MrBill)

UPDATE 25 November 2014: Commenter Andrew reports this place as open again, so I have updated the post title to reflect that.

UPDATE 17 February 2023: Updating tags and adding map icon.

Did somebody ram the Cayce Krispy Kreme sign? It sure looks like it to me.

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)

Mere words cannot describe how I came to hate this song in Elementary School.

My sister who was one grade below me doesn't remember it at all in her classes.

This day spa on the State Street side of Parkland Plaza looks like it was closing down in September of 2012, with new hours posted, and a fairly empty room inside.

By November, the window signage was down (though the marquee was still up), and the whole storefront was vacant.

UPDATE 17 November 2014 -- Now Venus Nail & Spa:

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I noticed this pair of co-located derelict businesses driving US-601 through St. Matthews towards I-26 this Spring.

I wasn't sure at first what the restaurant was, but a close look at the menu board pretty well pins it down to a Sub Station II.

I can't think of any obvious reason why both businesses in this building would have failed at what seems to be more or less the same time. While the restaurant market is fickle, laundromats are places where you must go. I'm guessing early 2000s for the timeframe here, but the building does seem rather enthusiastically vine encrusted, and if the realtor posting the sign does succeed in selling the place, I doubt there's much that can be done beyond knocking the place down and starting over.

UPDATE 31 March 2022: Updating tags. I can't add a map icon because I have no idea where this was now.

UPDATE 1 April 2022: Commenter Andrew has located this place on Google maps (it was apparently still standing in 2018), and following his lead, I come up with the address of this place as (probably) 181 Harry C Raysor Drive, St. Matthews SC 29135. With that, I am able to make a map icon. Also, I will put that in the post title. Harry C Raysor Drive is the local name for US-601.

I kept thinking I would drive by and get a better picture, but for some reason that hasn't happened, but the Scottish Inn on the Westbound Bush River Road exit of I-26 has reflagged to Palmetto Inn. The online reviews for the place I saw were not.. good.

UPDATE 5 December 2014 -- Here are a few somewhat better pix:

Commenter Joelc points out that The Cockpit on Berryhill road has shut down, or has been shut down.

This club was the follow-on operation to The Village Tavern, which closed in 2010. When Joelc mentioned a murder at the club as a factor in shutting it down, I did a google search, and was rather astonished to find that in fact there were *two* murders at the club, one in the parking lot, and one inside. The first happened in February 2014 and the alleged perpetrator has been arrested. The second happened in June 2014, was inside the bar, and (at the time the article was written) nobody was arrested.

(Hat tip to commenter Joelc)

Celtic band Cu Dubh.

So, I thought at first I had made a big mistake heading up to the Carolina Renaissance Festival last weekend. It was a cold and rainy Halloween when I hit the road, and I awoke Saturday to find out that Snowpocalypse had hit the Midlands while I was gone and that it was cold, rainy, wet and miserable in Huntersville.

Fortunately, although I had to use the wipers driving out to the festival grounds, but the time I got there, it had stopped raining and was just cold and miserable. Obviously the crowds were thin, but the performers gave it a good go and the sun finally did peek out during the late afternoon giving them (and me) some relief. Sunday, however was gorgeous, and all these pictures date from then.

It seemed to me that a good portion of the performers were back from last year, but there were some new faces as well. As before, everybody had a very polished and entertaining line of patter and were quick to improv as circumstances demanded. There are plenty of kid centric and family friendly shows as well as more ribald "loose cannon" performances for those of us a bit longer in the tooth.

The festival continues on weekends through 23 November and it's a great way to spend a (hopefully sunny!) Fall afternoon.

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