Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, the South Carolina State Fair is once again over, and I'm sure they've already started tearing down the rides. The weather was good this year, not at all chilly, and the event seemed to me to be completely recovered from the dark days of 2020. If you have followed these posts over the the years, you know the kind of thing I like, and the Fair continued to provide that with plenty of neon, questionable foods, games where chance is not as big a factor as the players think, and happy crowds.

I did notice two specific changes this year on the Midway, where one of the swing attractions that I enjoy riding was missing. That one had kind of an antique look to the paneled artwork that provided a classy touch. I had to ride the Yo-Yo instead, which was OK, but not as good. The second change is that usually the side of the midway facing the stadium usually has some sort of log-flume or water ride, and I don't believe I saw one this year.

As was the case last year, the empty park where the Steel Building used to stand was a frontier village concept (unlike the dinosaur exhibit which has also occupied that space). They had a glass-blower, which is always interesting, but unfortunately I wandered through between shows.

The art building has been re-arranged, with the flower exhibit put in the back where the student art usually goes, along with some kind of huge Moon exhibit. Unfortunately I got to the flowers pretty late, so the blossoms were definitely not at their peak, and many had been removed though there were definitely still some nice ones. I've always wondered about the student art, as I don't recall any of our classes in elementary school being asked to enter work, and I don't believe my nieces' classes ever were either. Whereever it comes from, it's a bit daunting that the Kindergarteners are still better at it than I am.

The vendor building seemed a bit less packed than usual. In particular, I did not notice the jerky vendor who is usually there, and there didn't seem to be any vendors pushing cool new Christmas toys.

Read the rest of this entry »

I believe the only time I ever visited this bank was to use the ATM some years ago. I had not even noticed that it was closed & razed until commenter Andrew pointed it out. For now you can see the old building in this LoopNet listing. I took these pictures a week or two ago, and the last time I drove by, construction on the lot had started.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

UPDATE 26 January 2023 -- Murphy Express is open:

UPDATE 6 March 2023 -- A better picture of the, now open, Murphy's building:

(Hat tip to commenter Andy)

Earlier this year, commenter Andy reported that this Springdale auto repair operation was probably closed. I drove out there, to an area I was totally unfamiliar with (one of the perks of this hobby) but could not tell if it were in fact closed or not. (It was a Sunday, I believe). Later, commenter Payne confirmed the closing,and when I drove back out there, there was a real-estate sign in front, and the business signs were down.

I kind of wish I had seen the Christmas lights lit up.

I noticed this Subway in Beacon Hill Block on Airport Boulevard the other day. There is not exactly a date on the closing note, but apparently it's quite recent, as google still has the closing as temporary, and all the decor and fixtures are still inside.

I'm a bit curious about the name for this plaza. Is "Beacon Hill" a real name for the area? Is it an aviation history thing? Was there a beacon?

I wasn't aware of this place; in fact I wasn't aware that Airport Boulevard changed names to Edmund Highway, but as commenter Gypsie reports, it is in fact closed. It's a fairly large building and property, so it will be interesting to see what happens here.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

UPDATE 7 November 2022: Adding "Skating Rink" to the post title, based on the comments.

This little Italian Ice shop was in the strip mall which also houses Very's, and was open, I believe, only this summer. I like the window art.

I noticed construction, or at least destruction at this Two Notch building the other day, and it appears to me that the last tenant (or at least the one whose label-scar is still visible) Regional Auto Mall moved out to Airport Boulevard sometime in the 2007 timeframe. I'm not sure what the work is about, but almost anything would be an upfit.

Apparently Bobby's has been closed for about a year, but I never noticed it because the signage is still up, both on the storefront and the plaza road sign.

I used Bobby's several times for minor repairs on various pairs of Sebago Docksides, which I tend to hang onto (especially as they are no longer available), and was satisfied with the work. I believe that with the recent closing of Jimmy John's, this little plaza (which does not seem to have a name) now has three vacancies.

(Hat tip to commenter Dan R)

Palmano's was in the small building below KJ's, formerly occupied by Reds. Judging from the google reviews, it was open until a few months ago, but has since transitioned to another pizza place (with mostly the same signage): New York Pizza & Pasta Factory. Google suggests the phone number is the same for both pizza shops, so perhaps this is more of a re-branding.

I believe that Swamp Fox Armory is basically in the same location at the old Wateree Arms though there is a slight address difference, and of course that building was torn down.

According to their Facebook, they have been "currently closed" since March of last year. As the signage has been taken down or reversed, I wouldn't expect them to re-open at this point.

(Hat tip to commenter badger)