Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Driving down Millwood the other day, I noticed that longtime fixture Branham's appeared to be closed. Closer inspection reveals that while the building is indeed up for sale, Branham's has consolidated operations with the next door DeLoache.

I only remember this building (across from Dutch Square) as a Visionworks eyeglass operation and not at all as ReMax real estate.

Perhaps that's because I wear glasses but have no interest in property. Anyway, it was apparently Visionworks longer ago than I would have thought -- it appears from the phonebooks I have at home that they closed shop or moved sometime between 1998 and 2005. This LoopNet listing shows the place in operation as ReMax, which apparently moved out in 2011.

I happened to notice this vacant building driving down Bluff Road today (how it got behind the wheel, I'll never know..)

A bit of googling says that it was the location for RSC Equipment Rental for those times when you draw Fork Lift from the what to bring to the party list. Google suggests, and the fact that the RSC site now redirects to United Rentals seems to confirm that RSC merged with United, which is located a whole number down the street at 1500 Bluff Road.

I believe the El Cheapo branding for this Millwood laundromat is fairly recent. Before that, it was Suds or something like that. I don't think the convenience store was an El Cheapo until recently either.

At any rate, apparently both were now under the same ownership and failed together early this month.

I wonder if they will sell off the commercial washers -- those can be quite hardy units.

This little house, just past Null's Exxon on Two Notch Road was built in 1945 according to this listing, and that seems about right. To me it looks more like a city house than one for what was I think a pretty rural area at the time. I'd say the left side with the big window has been remodeled a good bit. This listing has some interior shots.

While I'm sure that the place has been many things since it was last a residence, apparently the last tenant was Cedar Printing & Office Supply (sometimes listed as Cedar Terrace Printing & Office Supply, which is in the February 2005 phonebook, but not the February 2007 one.

I'm not seeing them in any of my phonebooks, but from what I can tell online, the I. A. P. Company is the Irene A. Palmer Company and is involved in real estate. According to the Secretary Of State, the company was founded in 2003, and is still active.

At any rate, this Two Notch vacancy is in Tillman's Plaza just to the left of the old Book Dispensary / Books Revisited location.

It's almost September -- got your spook on yet?

The last phonebook entry I have for Carolina Pools, Spas & Billiards (there are several different permutations of the name online) is the February 2005 phonebook. I don't have the Feb 2006 book, but it is definitely gone by the 2007 book, so I am going with a 2005 closing date. This little strip mall on Fernandina Road is now mostly known for Green's beverages, but I believe it was at one time anchored by a grocery in that spot. This unit is to the left of that, and as you can see here, is now a hot-spot for all you Halloween zombies, ghosts, ghouls, and naughty nurses.

Moving across the street from yesterday's Bingo Parlor, we have a vacancy in the back of The Shops Of O'Neil Court as the former Americal Speedy Printing Centers location has closed with the merger of that company into Allegra (which still sounds like it should be an allergy remedy to me..) with the merged office on Broad River Road.

I believe this building on O'Neil Court next to the old Todd & Moore and just across the street from The Shops Of O'Neil Court started life as a Garcia's Mexican Restaurant, then it was Roadhouse Grill.

It's been a bingo parlor for a number of years now, but it appears that business wasn't that good, and the building is now up for sale on taxes.

UPDATE 28 August 2013 -- Here are some shots from an overcast day, so shooting against the sun wasn't as big a problem as with the shots above:

UPDATE 25 January 2018 -- This is now MoBay’s Legacy Caribbean Bar and Grill which according to The State moved here from Parklane:

lunch and dinner choices include jerk chicken, pork and ribs; curry shrimp, chicken or goat; oxtails, wings and burgers, and some fish dishes.

I was unaware of this old tennis club off of Lake Murray Boulevard just west of Saint Andrews Road until commenter James mentioned it.

The place is built on two levels, with the main building and old court surfaces down a steep hill from Lake Murray Boulevard. I would not like to come in and out of this parking lot on a daily basis! The old pro-shop, clubhouse (and probably snack bar I would suspect) is at the back of the parking lot, with level space behind that where there look to have been at least two courts, and in all likelihood several others less discernable now as well.

At the side of the first level, a set of steps leads up the hill to a second level. It's all wooded now, but I suspect there was at least one more court up there. I probably shouldn't have tested the steps on my less than svelte frame, especially given the bushes and trees growing up through them and the raised nail heads, but they were still sturdier than they appeared.

UPDATE 24 August 2013: Commenter Badger sends in a link to this obituary. It seems the owner was Mr Fred Wiles Atkinson, Jr. He sounds like a nice guy, and with his life history, I would not be surprised at all if he and my parents were acquainted. He passed in 2008, so this place probably closed a couple of years before that.

(Hat tip to commenter James)