Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, this is the 9th South Carolina State Fair post here, so you probably know the drill by now. I like what I like, and I take pictures of it. I moved some pictures around to provide an entrance sequence, but as you can tell, I actually ended up up at the fair on two different days this year. I still miss the Steel Building, which was a bit more down-market than the new commercial exhibits in the new art building annex. In particular, no grey market videos, and no handwriting computer. This year, the flowers were moved in with the art, and the agricultural exhibits moved across the way where the flowers used to be. I didn't get into the animal area, so I don't know if the baby duck slide was still running.

I think I was running the camera at ISO-800 this year, higher than previously, and I'm not entirely happy with the results as the frequent bright lights interspersed with the booths tended to drown out everything else.

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This one's a puzzler. I've been a Carolina Collegiate FCU member for decades, since my father opened an account for me while he was a USC professor, and I have no complaints -- they're a good instution to do business with. What I don't understand is how they seem to have been bitten by the same bug that got into the RCPL a few years ago: The sudden urge to change a historic and evocative name to something less so.

If you're in Columbia, and especially if you have some connection to USC, the name Carolina Collegiate invokes warm fuzzies. Caro just sounds like syrup..

UPDATE 23 May 2017 -- Well I'm re-writing this post because I was wrong about Carolina Wiring being closed. I was fooled by the fact that the trucks weren't there, but as I learned in a nice note from Travis at that operation, they are working on the building, and are still very much around.

So if you need "anything from Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems to Dedicated Home Theaters", you can get up with them at 803-748-9473 and wiredbycws.com.

I still like these old Dairy Queen buildings, and if you saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 then you know this DQ design featured in a key scene:

Apparently I never got around to doing a formal closing, though I did mention it in one of the flood posts, but Sakura Japanese Restaurant has been closed since they lost their storefront behind Coplon's to the great flood of October 2015.

Now it seems that they will be making a comeback in the former location of Fujiya Japanese Restaurant at the foot of Rosewood Drive. The State has the story here.

Here is Sakura in operation at its old location:

and here are a few pictures from not long after the flood:

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

The Southern Belly (whose sign I originally misread as "The Southern Belle") was the follow-on operation to The Rolling Stone at this Rosewood lot near the Fairgrounds which has been home to many bars and restaurants. I see, in fact, that they never got around to completely removing the Rolling Stone signage, which wasn't essential as I understand the ownership was the same.

At some point around 2015, they moved shop to 819 Harden Street, the former site of Mucho Maragaritas, San Jose, Sizzle and many others over the years:

Personally, I believe I like the Rosewood spot better, at least for parking.

UPDATE 15 February 2017 -- According to commenter Justin, this was not a move as I indicate above, but they ran the Harden Street location (and a Colonial Life location) in parallel with this one and only recently closed this branch. I've taken "moved" off the post title and put a better guess at the timeframe.

UPDATE 11 July 2018 -- Now Peebles Wing Shack:

Speaking of Pelican's (as we just were), I noticed that the Rosewood location is gone.

This was the follow-on operation in this building to Charlie's Barber Shop.

I'm not totally clear on what is going on. The real estate sign says that they have moved to 1912 Rosewood, which, as far as I can tell, is a vacant lot.

UPDATE 11 February 2025: Updating tags & adding map icon.

I got back to town a bit late this year, and missed out on some of my State Fair usuals because the buildings closed early the final day, so no art, flowers, sand sculpture or baby ducks this year. I was able to have my annual Italian sausage sandwich, Fiske fries and ride the skyway, swings and bumper cars. Most of the regular rides were there, along with a couple of new, or at least re-painted wacky-house type walk-throughs. Apparently the rocket is no longer the "Time-Warner Rocket" and is just back to "The Rocket", though it does have a few new sponsorship plaques at the base. I still miss the Steel Building: That corner just does not feel right without it.

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I only went to Moe's Grapevine once. It was many years ago, when, I believe, I was still living out of town. I don't remember much about it other than it was perfectly OK as far as the food went, and that I saw a waitress who knew me from another Columbia restaurant.

I never got in the habit of going there however because after that, it seemed every time I drove by the place was closed. I realize I keep odd meal hours, but I would have expected to hit it sooner or later..

Commenter JB sends this link to a Free Times story on the closing.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

This little Hispanic grocery or convienence store was in this little Rosewood plaza for a number of years adjacent to Killoy. It appears the interior is now being completely gutted for whatever comes next.

Family Dollar has left their original home at 1901 Rosewood Drive and has moved across the street to 1825 Rosewood Drive, which is the former KFC lot. You can see the new, custom built, building in the background of some of these shots.

I really should have crossed the street to get a better picture of this building. It has kind of a grocery store look to me, though that would put it awfully close to the old Piggly Wiggly