Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Boardwalk Plaza was an odd little shopping center down the hill from Dutch Square on Bush River Road. At this point, my memories of the place are very hazy (for instance, I distinctly remember a Book Dispensary location there which I cannot verify in any directory..). However, my memory is that the "boardwalk" part of the name came from the fact that the "plaza" was really a bunch of trailers which sat above street level and so were connected with a wooden walkway rather than concrete sidewalks.

None of these pictures are actually the Boardwalk site. As far as I can tell, the address 1023 no longer exists on Bush River Road. The last block before I-26 is 900, with the Days Inn / Comfort Inn at 911 Bush River Road apparently being the last building before I-26. That leads me to think that I-26 coming through blew away the 1000 block. However, my memory is that I-26 was completed well before 1984.. Also, I used to walk to Boardwalk from Dutch Square, and thought it was closer than that.

Anyway, the 1973 City Directory, only listed one business at 1023 Bush RIver Road: Ray C. Parker Package Stores, Inc.

By the next year, while 1023 had no shopping center name attached to it, the sole listing for Ray C. Parker Package Stores, Inc. had expanded to:

Ray C. Parker Package Stores, Inc.
Bicycle Center of Columbia
Etc Bath & Boudoir
Leaf 'n 'petal
Trulas-West
Whit-Ash Furnishings
World Of Sounds & Sights Inc

In the 1975 City Directory, 1023 Bush River road is first identified by the name Boardwalk Plaza and has building numbers identified. It had the following tenants:

Ray C. Parker Package Stores, Inc.
3) Leaf & Petal
4) Orange Owl gifts
5) World Of Sound & Sights Inc
World Of Turquoise & Imports
7) Vacant
8) Bicycle Center
10)Aquarium Pools Of Columbia
The Different Drummer ("joke products")
12) Vacant
15) Dutchbrook Interiors
16) Dan Dee Toys & Gifts
17) Vacant
18) Design Studio Inc

By 1979, the City Directory indicates a nearly total turnover:

1) Ray C. Parker Package Stores, Inc.
2) Cheap Joe's Jeans & Sportswear
4) The Final Touch
5) Vacant
6) Adams Tailor & Alterations Shop
7) Underwater Works Ltd
8) Muldrows Bar-B-Que
10) Muldrows (Overflow)
11) Vamps
12) Vacant
13) Vacant
14) Shamrock Hair Design
15) Rosco Recreation Store
16) Vacant
17) Bum's Shirt Factory Outlet
18) Korner Keg
19) Celsios Foam Insulation

1984 is the last City Directory to have an entry for Boardwalk Plaza at this point, the founding store, Ray C. Parker was gone. The tenant list was:

1) Vacant
2) Bum's Bummers shirt outlet
4) Wise Floor Covering Inc
5) Vacant
6) Adams Tailoring & Alteration Shop
7) Underwater Works Limited
8) Vacant
10) Columbia Shaver & Appliance Service
11) Vacant
12) Sims Music
13) Columbia Flag & Banner
14) Shamrock Hair Cutters
15) Direct Mailing Service
16) Vacant
17) Vacant
18) State Farm Insurance
19) Quick Print Center
The Frame Shop

I would have still been living in Columbia at this point, prior to taking a job in North Carolina in September of 1985, so you would think I would have some memory of the place closing and being torn down, but apart from radio ads for Bum's Bummers it was apparently totally off my radar screen..

UPDATE 15 March 2011: Folks, I am able to present this major picture update courtesy of one of the owners of Bum's Bummers, Barbara Summers, and the good offices of her son Lane. All these photos are property of Barbara Summers, and I use them with her kind permission. (I see in "preview" it turned out a bit confusing -- the captions for a set of pictures come after those pictures). [D'Oh! Had "Lane" as daughter rather than son -- fixed!]

Here's the plaza sign. At this point, the plaza's original entrance had been blocked off by construction of the motel that would replace the plaza.

Here are various views of the old plaza itself, already in somewhat of a disassembled state in some of the shots.

Here is Barbara herself standing on the boardwalk which gave the plaza its name.

Here is Bum's Bummers getting ready to go to 2700 Broad River Road.

Bum's is on the move, heading out then crossing I-20 moving north. Note the "Coming Soon" sign -- no kidding! Finally touchdown at the new location. (Also note the classic look Rush's in the background of two shots).

Here are Bum's and Shamrock in their new location.

Here's some notices of the move. (Note the Broad River Road Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.)

Business resumes after the move.

Construction starts on the permanent buildings at 2700 Broad River

I have to admit I'm drawing a blank on this building. It's on Covenant Road just below the final Forest Lake TV location, and just above the former Danielle Le Shay Gallerie. In fact, google searches on "3618 Covenant Road" turn up the Danielle Le Shay name, but that was 3620.

Anyway I'm sure I've driven past it hundreds of times since 1969 and must have seen it in operation as a number of different businesses over the years, but none of them is coming to me now. I will say that it has a cleaner-ish look to it.

UPDATE 15 Jan 2011 -- OK, I spent some time with the city directories, though I only got up to 1995 before the library closed, but here's what I have for this building:

1970 -1972 -- Powers 60 Minute Cleaners
1973 -- Boland's One Hour Martinizing
1974 -1977 -- Vacant
1978 -- The clock Doctor
1979 -- Vacant
1980 - 1981 -- Brinson's Quality Cleaners
1982 - 1984 -- Vacant
1985 -- Haywood Electrical Corp
1986 -1987 -- B C Bike Inc
1988 - 1990 -- Vacant
1991 -- Jomacies Cafeteria (hard to read my handwriting, but I think that's it)
1992 - 1995 Vacant (I did not have time to check past 1995)

I believe The Clock Doctor is still around in that little strip of trailers across from the Two Notch K Mart.

UPDATE 3 February 2021: This building and the one next door were razed in December 2020:

Also updating tags and adding map icon.

The point when North Main Street turns into Wilson Boulevard and crosses over I-20 never seems to prosper for some reason. Or at least so it seems with it having lost Denny's, Gaz-Bah and Pizza Hut.

I suspect the Pizza Hut was one of those brand-destroying kiosk type locations and probably no big loss, but I used to notice the sign when I lived in Aiken, and would travel I-20 west many weekends. I thought I was familar with most Columbia Pizza Huts and could never quite place where it was, as I was expecting a freestanding building.

I have to say that the enclosing "Travel Plaza" has seen better days and is confusing to get in and out of to boot. I had no idea until I took these pictures that the little I-20 industrial frontage strip is called "Plumbers Road". I wonder if it had a plumbing dispatch office on it and got named that during the great 9-1-1 sevice street naming binge of a few years back or it has always been that. There is also a Day's Inn a bit further down the street, and I expect they must work really hard to find "reasons to pick our location" on their marketing...

UPDATE 26 June 2023: Updating tags, adding map icon. Also noticed this Pizza Hut is listed twice with the other listing under the Wilson Boulevard address. Oh well.

Hope you spend it with those most dear!

Time to start cooking..

I posted before about bygone Columbia grocery chain Edens. After I located one of the buildings on Rosewood, I have been looking for some of the others from time to time when I remember. I didn't have any luck with the two Main Street locations, but here is the Harden Street one.

Growing up, this was always Eckerd's to me, and it never really occurred to me that it had not been built as a pharmacy. Looking at it now though, I'm pretty sure this must be the original grocery building from the 1950s. In particular, I don't think anyone would site the doors on the street instead of the parking lot on any building newer than that. In fact, thinking about it, I'm surprised nobody ever changed that.

UPDATE 24 Nov 2010: Added Greenbax Stamps and Thrift Store to post title based on comments.

UPDATE 30 Nov 2010: Changed "Thrift Store" to "Community Thrift" based on Dennis's comment.

UPDATE 26 November 2019 -- This place is now Pet Supermarket:

UPDATE 10 August 2020: Update tags, change Eckerd's in post title to Eckerd Drugs.

Grr!

If I had noticed there were no checkers when I walked in, I would have walked right out again. It's not my job to spend 20 minutes scanning and bagging -- it's your job to spend 5 minutes doing it.

Here's a place I never heard of before starting this blog, but it's come up several times in the comments over the years. Here's what I know from the library and internet:

The 1969 city directory lists 709 Santee Avenue as having two units, 709-A & 709-B, both of which were at the time vacant. The 1970 Southern Bell phonebook has the yellow pages ad for Maudy's Bosom shown above, and they were also in the white pages. That seems to be the last phonebook with a listing, either yellow or white for the shop. They continued to be listed in the city directory in 1971 and 1972 (as 709 without any 'A' or 'B'). In the 1973 city directory, the listing for 709 Santee Avenue changes from Maudy's Bosom to Bosom Walk In Center. This listing repeats in 1974, but that is the last mention of the place.

There is currently no building numbered 709 Santee Avenue. This PDF of city council minutes from 2007 and the Kenny's brou-ha-ha indicates that 701 & 709 Santee were the Santee part of the Kenny's lot. I'm not sure how this location jibes with Michael's comment below..

And now, crowdsourcing -- this is what y'all have said:

I just looked at the Dec 6, 2009 post about Maudy’s Bosom. My old recollection was from when it was just called The Bosom and was a drug counseling center. My older sister told me that it had previously been a head shop called what I misheard as “Marty’s,” but my sister tells me that she thinks Maudy’s is correct. But she was a stoner back then, so . . . .

Jim

Maudy’s Bosom is correct. Awesome store to visit for “hippie” threads and for incense!!

Terese

BTW, does anyone know what "Pieces Of" Fashion Botique and "Conspiracy Records" mean/meant?

This vintage looking building, which almost has to have been an old gas station originally, sits at the point where Sunset Drive ends, River Drive jinks west and Clement Road fails to become either of those. It's across from Edna's, Great China Chinese Restaurant and the old A & P in Sunset Shopping Center.

I know that going back into the 60s there had to be more, but currently I am able to google three former tenants, all auto related. I'm using June 2010 as the closing date for Cash Loans for Car Titles because that seems to be when the building went up on the realtor's web site.

I like the building and hope the next owner keeps it. The curved endcap reminds me of the KC Customs building on Augusta Road.

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Calendars make great Christmas presents! Well, OK, it's not a new car or a puppy, but still..

At the very least, you can train your puppy on a 2011 Columbia Closings Wall Calendar so buy one for all your pets.

Also available now the 2011 Pawleys Island Wall Calendar:

Twelve months of South Carolina's most beautiful spot!

And if you're feeling extra nostalgic, the 2010 Columbia Closings and 2010 Pawleys Island calendars are still available!

I don't drive down River Drive all that often, but when I do, I always note this building. It seems to me that it is a close twin to the Mediterranean Tea Room building on Devine Street, although the Tea Room building has had a lot more work done to it, especially in the last few years.

I had it in the back of my mind that it hadn't been vacant all that long, but when I finally stopped to look and take these pictures, it was obvious from the state of the interior that it had been empty a good while.

Googling the address turned up an interesting story, which apparently did not play out as planned. These three PDFs of 2008 zoning board minutes here, here and here tell the story.

Many years ago, the place was a cleaner (they never mention the name) and then Martha's Era (they never explicitly give that name either, but it seems pretty clear that there was only one antique business ever there). By 2008, they were talking about the building having been vacant for 20 years, and indeed, I cannot find Martha's in the 1998 phonebook.

At any rate, a new tenant wanted to lease the building (still owned by the Martha's proprietor) to open a largely take-out pizza business, apparently to be called Neighboorhood Pie. The big stumbling block was parking, of which the site has very little. There was a lot of back and forth on that issue, and the board suggested he make some new plans and come back later, which he did, rounding up a parking lease arrangement with a nearby church (which had no issues since the restaurant would not be open Sunday, and would not sell alcohol). There were a few minor issues with neighboring residents, but those were all ironed out, and the board gave the goahead in Sept 2008.

For whatever reason however, the restaurant never happened, and from the appearance of the interior, never even got to the "starting refit" stage. The property is currently up for lease once again, and apparently the owner is willing for the building to come down if necessary. That would be a shame as it is rather distinctive with its street-side pillar and vintage canopy.

UPDATE 20 Nov 2010: Commenter Mike identifies the place as originally a Sunshine Cleaners which makes sense given its resemblance to the one on Covenant. I've upadated the post title.