Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

The Carolina Wings at the corner of Gervais & Pulaski is the latest location of this local chain to close. (You can see other stores here, and here).

There was an article in The State about it. I didn't save the link, but the gist as I recall it was that the chain went into bankruptcy, and that as part of their reorganization to come out of it, they were closing stores where the rent was too high and the margin too low to make sense in their current status.

As of a few weeks ago, at least, their Pawleys Island location (really Litchfield, but everybody tries to say they're Pawleys nowadays..) was still open, so they still do have a bit of a non-Midlands presence.

(Hat tip to commenter MB)

UPDATE 14 July 2014 -- As mentioned by commenter Andrew, this building has now been sold:

UPDATE 20 April 2020: This builiding is now breastaurant Twin Peaks. Also, adding tags and map icon.

Video:

I think taking the time and trouble to program a Thank You message into the roadside message board was a nice touch.

This storefront (which looks to me as though it may once have been a grocery) on Saint Andrews Road north of Lake Murray Boulevard was the first location for the Carolina Wings & Rib House chain. I'm not sure what the "Smokehouse" marquee signifies exactly -- I don't believe I have noticed that at other Carolina Wings locations.

(Hat tip to commenter jonathan)

UPDATE 8 September 2012: Label the video (first image).

UPDATE 20 April 2020: Add tags and map icon.

Well, Badger's theory aside, I think we can pretty surely say that the Carolina Wings & Rib House in West Columbia by the Bi-Lo is gone for good.

I think this almost certainly has to be the result of their filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 9 November 2011. The chain supposedly owed between $1 and $10 million to various creditors, and I would guess that this was not one of their more profitable locations.

(Hat tip to commenter Jay)

UPDATE 20 April 2020: Add some tags, redo the street address, add map icon.

Wow! If IrmoJeff hadn't mentioned that this was a Lizard's Thicket, I never would have known that in fact this was the Lizard's Thicket, the original first location from 1977. You can see an artist's representation of what is clearly the same building on the company's history page, which says:

The original Lizard’s Thicket was a five room house converted into a restaurant with three small dining rooms and a small kitchen.

Now I go through phases of eating at Liz and not eating at Liz, but I find when I'm down, or fighting a cold or trying to get back on track after days of erratic eating that their Southern comfort food really hits the spot. I particularly like to get a vegatable platter with field-peas over rice and macaroni & cheese.

I'm not sure when the original location closed, but it was a good while ago though there is still one on Broad River Road.

La Fogata until fairly recently has seemed like the up-and-coming local Mexican chain, joining San Jose, Monterray and Casa Linda. They had this location on Broad River, took over the Pirmarily Pi location on Sunset and took over the Village Bistro location at Sandhill. I don't know if they over-extended, or just figured the economy would turn around faster than it has, but they've since closed this location and the Sandhill location. I've never eaten at a La Fogata, but comments on the Sandhill closing indicate it was pretty good.

I don't know anything about the La Fogata follow-on operation, El Meson except that it was also a local Mexican restaurant. Their door sign indicates that they may be back. The omens are mixed for that. On the one hand, the roof and roadside marquees are down. On the other hand the fixtures and decor are still inside.

Does anyone actually drink Clamato?

(Hat tip to commenter IrmoJeff)

UPDATE 25 May 2011 -- Well, it appears that even though the fixtures are still apparently in place, there will be no re-opening:

UPDATE 31 March 2012: Added Westbury's wing joint to the post title based on commenter IrmoJeff's info.

UPDATE 24 August 2012 -- Now Tain's Caribbean Cuisine & Bar:

I was a bit reluctant to do this post yet, hoping that the place was going to make it, but I've been by several times within the posted hours (including a Saturday evening) and found it dark (though the phone still rings..)

At any rate, I first wrote of this building when I did a closing for longtime tenant Little Mexico and follow-on Cancun.

After Cancun another Mexican operation Mi Tierra set up shop in the building, and lasted about a year. (And you should visit both of those closing links because the previous comments and pictures for Wata Wing are spread out between them).

After Mi Tierra closed, there were indications fairly early on that the place was to become a Wata Wing chicken wing operation. The setup seemed quite protracted, and with the stall out of the Wata Wing roll-out in the old Taco Bell on Knox Abbott:

combined with reports of some legal difficulties the chain (which I should stress is probably totally different people in different areas) was facing in Maryland, it seemed for a time that this location might not open.

In the event it did open some time between 3 November 2010 and 1 December 2010 when commenter Badger stopped by.

I had thought, given this sign:

that the operation might be headed in a Hooters, Wing House direction with the "Wata Girls" front and center, but that seems not to have been the case.

If this location is closed (and it certainly seems to be), then that would throw into question the opening of a Wata Wing in the old Shoney's/Santa Fe/Savannah's location on Two Notch Road:

Read the rest of this entry »

This building, on Shakespeare Road at the intersection with Humphrey Street has been a number of things over the years -- none of which stick in my mind.

Assuming the latest incarnation Carolina Famous Hotdogs and Wings started about the time this youtube video ad was uploaded (22 July 2010), then I'm afraid it didn't last long at all. In general it seems that the only things which survive on Shakespeare are industrial type operations.