Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, this closing has been discussed fairly extensively in the comments, but I first heard of it from Eva at the Free Times.

I like coffee and ice cream, but somehow never even knew that Peace, Love & Rocky Roast existed in the Vista even though I hit The Mellow Mushroom and Five Guys fairly often, and drive down Gervais on a semi-regular basis.

The store's facebook page and web site mention Vista rents as the main issue here. It doesn't seem to me that Vista properties are turning over quickly enough that driving out existing tenants is a good idea -- I notice that the complex with the antique bookstore has been on the market a good while as has this place (or at least it still looked vacant last time I thought to check).

Apparently PL&RR is looking to relocate to State Street in Cayce, but I'm not sure exactly where.

(Hat tips to Eva and the commenters)

Well, this is an interesting closing, more for the implications than anything else. Starbucks is not in the business of closing stores that make money, and this is a foot-traffic location, so I would say that this section of Sandhill, at least, does not get as much foot traffic as expected, and that, in addition, they decided it wasn't worth it to move to one of the empty spots on the main drag either.

As for the store itself, I think I stopped there once or twice, and it was fine: A typical Starbucks with no apparent problems.

UPDATE 15 February 2012: Added a night-time picture.

(Hat tip to commenter Elizabeth)

UPDATE 10 April 2013 -- It's now a cupcake bakery:

UPDATE 30 November 2021: Adjusting street address, updating tags, adding map icon.

The White Mule is another recent casualty of Main Street, following shortly after the closings of Henessey's and Kimbrell's.

I'd heard the name from time to time, but really wasn't exactly sure where it was. Judging by the stairs in the entranceway, it was a basement club, and judging from the menu on the still extant web site it was a little more upscale than your basic burgers & nachos show-pub.

The State story mentioning the closing dates it to "last week". Given that the story ran on 7 January 2012, the inference I draw is that The White Mule closed out with the year at the end of 2011.

(Hat tip to commenter Tom)

UPDATE 23 January 2012: Added Jammin' Java to the post title based on the comments. I recall the name, but never realized this is where it was.

Then:

Now:

I would notice this little coffee shop on the Sumter Highway sometimes as I was heading for the beach, but if I was taking that route, I would either have taken care of my caffeine needs at Starbucks or it would be the outside of business hours anyway, so I never got around to stopping. It looks to have had a nice, quirky, interior.

Currently the rubric for Somewhere in Time Antiques is again visible on the building's west side, and commenter tonkatoy reports this interesting little building has also been a gas station and a magistrate's office.

(Hat tip to commenter tonkatoy)

This coffee shop, at the corner of Sparkleberry Lane and Clemson Road, and in the same building as the former Za's pizza was one of those places that seemed to have adopted the business strategy of never being open. You know the kind of place -- you're sure they're not out of business, yet every time you drive by the lights are off. Now maybe my view is skewed by Starbucks and expecting a coffee shop to at least be open while it's still light outside during the summer, but my experience is that every time I found myself driving home from Sandhill via I-20 and really wanted a cup of coffee, they were shut. The one exception was when I was in the area around lunch time and found they did, in fact, make a decent latte.

At any rate, they are now definitely closed 24/7

Commenter Andy pointed out that this Internet cafe just to the right of Publix in the Lexington Place strip mall had closed.

I admit that that's far off my usual beat, and I wasn't even aware it existed, but he says

Judging from their still extant web site, they went beyond the standard Starbucks/Atlanta Bread/Panera wi-fi model in that they also provided on site printers and computers. I have found such places to be very helpful when I'm away from home and need to print out work documents, driving directions etc..

The name apparently came from the fact that there were three owners. I hope the association with "Three Bean Salad" (which I have always hated) didn't hurt them..

(Hat tip to commenter Andy)

UPDATE 3 April 2011 -- It's to be a yogurt shop:

(Hat tip to commenter Elisabeth A)

Commenter Duane sends the first picture above of Caffe Espresso on College Street.

I remember going there several times, and like its successor Cool Beans it was in the foyer and upstairs of the old house at 1217, next to Nice & Natural. I guess I probably don't go to Cool Beans often enough to say for sure, but in retrospect, it seems to me that the biggest difference between the two operations was that Caffe Espresso had the upstairs windows open more often, as seen here. That, and WiFi..

(Thanks to Duane!)

The Daily Grind was one of probably hundreds of coffee-shops of that name across the country. Not that it was part of a chain -- it just seems to be a mildly clever name for a coffee-shop. I only stopped there once. As I recall, it opened when the concept of espresso drinks was pretty new, at least for those of us not in New York or the Pacific Northwest. (If you'll recall, in the terrible Bruce Willis movie Hudson Hawk they had to explain to the audience what a cappucino was). Certainly it was long before Columbia got a Starbucks. Frankly, I can't remember being either pleased or displeased at the coffee, and Rosewood was enough out of my Columbia haunts (which I was only hitting on weekends anyway as I was out of town at that point) that I just never got back. I'm not sure when the place closed. It's listed in the 1998 Bellsouth phonebook, so I'm saying early 2000s.

Compusouth I wasn't aware of at all. I have never had any luck getting parts at these small computer storefronts. They can fix your PC or sell you one, but if you want an EIDE controller or whatever, you'll have more luck at Office Depot. (I really miss CompUSA in Augusta which was very good for parts, Best Buy -- not so much). Again, I don't know when it closed, but as they haven't gotten around to taking down the sign yet, I'm saying late 2000s.

The place is currently a lacrosse equipment store. I didn't even know we had lacrosse players in Columbia..

The part of this building at 904 Knox Abbott Drive that is now a cleaners was the original location for Silver city comics, which is now up the street in an old Hardee's building. I used to drive over from USC every Thursday ("new comics day" back then) to see what was out that week. I would park along the west side of the building, and do vaguely recall 906 being the insurance agency though I don't recall Reyland Medical at all. I know that Silver City moved out after a fire, but I can't recall if it affected 906 as well.

Anyway, since I used to go there so often, I always notice the building as I'm driving by, and saw a massage operation setting up shop there late last year. It seemed to be one of those places having a hard time getting started, at least I never saw any cars there, or indeed any sign that it was open. Finally going to Krispy Kreme one evening, I noticed a sign pasted to the door, and figured it had gone under, but when I stopped to take a picture, the sign said something about a "grand opening" instead. I think that was in mid-February. Then when I went by last weekend, I saw the (generously timelined) "Artsy Fartsy" sign you see here.

UPDATE 29 Oct 2010 -- Well, Artsy Fartsy is to be a coffee bar as well as an art gallery: