Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I'm not sure what's going on with the Murphy Express in front of the old Walmart on Bush River Road, but I noticed for two weeks running that there wasn't a gas price posted on the big roadside sign, so I drove back in there and found the station partly dug up and only selling premium gas. I didn't get any good pictures because the attendant came out and was giving me the stink-eye, though people driving around the place looking for a pump with regular could hardly be unusual...

If they are having tank problems, I don't know why they wouldn't put regular in the premium tank and continue on that way until the issue was fixed, but it struck me as very odd.

UPDATE 24 May 2024 -- Whatever issue they were having, it is resolved. They have posted the price for "Regular" again, and in fact since it was the best I saw all day, I stopped and filled up:

The Harbison Panera Bread has closed in advance of its move to the 2nd & Charles plaza. The new location notably has a drive-through which the Bower Parkway one did not.

Here is (an oldish) State story on the move.

My experience is that this location, along with Garners Ferry & Percival has not been stellar. I find Killian to be the best run of the local stores.

I noticed another closed Tripp's location the other day, this one in a nice end-cap at Murray Landing. Streetview says it was open as recently as September of 2022, so I'm going with 2023 for the closing date.

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I don't believe I've ever been to a National Tire & Battery, though I see they spun off from Sears in 2003, so I guess you could say I did business with them in a roundabout way through that Diehard connection.

As far as I can tell from the Google reviews, this location closed around three months ago, so I'm calling it late 2003. It seems like a pretty decent location, so I would not be surprised to see another repair operation set up shop here.

(Hat tip to commenter badger)

I ate at I Heart Mac & Cheese off of Killian twice. The first time was with my niece, and she said the signature item: Mac & Cheese was good. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, which was also good, though I would have preferred bacon strips to bacon bits. Both my sister & I thought the service was a bit slow & disorganized for the small number of people dining.

I went back later on my own several months afterwards, and I found that the service this time was *incredibly* slow and disorganized. I was the only customer, and it still took me 40 minutes to get my sandwich. Also, as I recall there was no drink station, so I had to beg for refills in the interim. Anyway, at that point I took it off my list, decent sandwich or no.

For some reason I cannot get to The State's web page now, but google idicates that here is the story of this place opening, and here is a story on the closing.

The State says that Yamato was established here in Columbia in 1975 and moved into this building sometime during or after 2000. From what I have been able to tell, the original location was 736 Saint Andrews Road in St. Andrews Shopping Center.

There doesn't seem to be a reason for the closing given either by the restaurant, or by The State, but folks in the comments have speculated on SC ongoing restaurant liability insurance problems. I will note that the opening of Miyabi some years back just a block or so away on the same street can't have helped.

(Hat tip to a commenter Andrew [not the usual one])

I'm not sure I understand Splurge, which is apparently a vinyl crafts store as that is a hobby I know nothing about and can't really visualize.

What I do know is that in October, they moved from this storefront in Seven Oaks Shopping Center to 1709 Sunset Boulevard, so visit them there and see what it's all about.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

In keeping with yesterday's theme, here's another Pitt Stop closing. This one is at I-26 exit 119 at the intersection with US-176. This whole strip is closed now, but over the years has acted as a mini-travel-plaza, with gas, a convenience store (possibly with trucker showers), and attached restaurants. The restaurants have included Maggie May's and Nathan's, and the gas pumps have been branded first as Exxon and in the end as Shell.

There appears to be some road-work ongoing on Rolling Meadows Lane, as you can see from several of the pictures. I'm not sure if that's what drove this closing, or it is just coincidental (certainly the location was not robust, at least for restaurants).

UPDATE 21 February 2024 -- In fact the roadwork is taking over this space, and Rolling Meadows Lane is now completely closed: