Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, here is this week's closed Radio Shack.

This one was on Two Notch Road in front of Target, and can't have been helped by being so close to Best Buy though I believe this store predates that. In the event, I don't believe I ever shopped this store.

Given that we are several days into Spring at this point, I think it is safe to say that the rooftop garden shop at Richland Mall is not just closed for the season, but is apparently closed for good.

Forest Acres still has several sites for garden supplies including the Ace Hardware nearby in the old Ritz building and the garden shop in the old First Citizen's bank at Forest Lake Shopping Center.

I don't believe I ever went into this Radio Shack in the Food Lion plaza in Five Points. Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever been into any business in this plaza other than Food Lion, unless you go back far enough to count Peaches and Sears.

You know the drill about Radio Shack by this point.

Another day, another Radio Shack. Sic transit gloria mundi.

This one is in the Wal Mart plaza at Forest & I-77, and is I believe the same operating unit that was originally in a free-standing building near the current Forest Drive Rite Aid and then in Trenholm Plaza. If so, this is the Radio Shack that I historically cut my teeth at. I used to take tubes to be tested at the freestanding location all the time, and bought (or talked my parents into buying) a number of hobby kits there. Later, I was a member of the Battery Of The Month club at the Trenholm Plaza location, and got what I call my "lucky" screwdrivers as a free BOTM gift there. ('Lucky' in that I've had them for over 30 years now, and have never lost or broken them -- yet). I remember I used to manage my BOTM days so that I could get one battery on the last day of a month, and then the next day, get another on the first day of the next month. [This was important since, a) it always took at least two batteries to do anything, and b) I never had any money]

I don't believe I ever actually went into this store after it moved to the current location. By that time, I was living out of town, had enough money to buy batteries, and had bid adieu to vacuum tubes.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

Another day, another Radio Shack.

This is the one in Parkland Plaza in Cayce, and is another casualty of the chain's bankruptcy.

UPDATE 14 March 2015 -- Gone:

Mary & Martha's in Forest Park is closing shop in the coming weeks. The State Reports:

Owner Beverley Tuller has started a liquidation sale to sell most of the items as she prepares to close the shop in March if she can't sell it first.

"I've had a couple of nibbles, but nothing has really panned out yet," Tuller said of a potential buyer, adding she will keep the store open longer if she has a contract in place to allow for a smooth transition.

Given the above, I'm not exactly sure where the name of the shop comes from, but I have been in there several times. As I recall, I bought a double-boiler, and an apple peeling machine (that worked better than I expected). It's not the kind of place a guy like me needs often, but always a nice option to have when I *do* need it.

Well, it's been all over the news, but this is the first Radio Shack I've driven past since the bankruptcy announcement.

This store is in Woodhill strip at the top of the lot, parallel to Garners Ferry. I've actually been inside several times over the last year, once for a AC adaptor, once for some CD-R media and once for something that currently slips my mind. The product mix is now a far cry from the old parts & kits era, or even the TRS-80 era, but still I can't see that another Sprint store is really an improvement.

What can I say?

The curse of 2630 Decker Boulevard continues.

UPDATE 18 August 2015 -- But hope continues to win against experience. This place is to now become Bosheen Mediterrean Cusine

I generally like my steak in ground-beef form, but I have certainly noticed Steak Mart on the corner of Rosewood and Maple since it has been there for my entire life. As commenter Robert S pointed out though, they have closed up shop as of Christmas Eve after a 54 year run.

(Hat tip to commenter Robert S.)

UPDATE 19 October 2021 -- Now Koru Group Fitness:

Also adding map icon.

The Devine Street Piggly Wiggly recently changed ownership as noted in a story in The Columbia Star, which you may or may not be able to read here. With all the churn engulfing The Pig recently, it's good to see one store hang on.

In this case, the managers of the former Garners Ferry store have bought Devine Street outright:

The 35,000-squarefoot store closed late last Sunday for an inventory, reopening Monday under the new owners. Miller says customers are unlikely to notice many changes early on. He said the store has been well maintained, but he expects some refurbishing and painting ahead.

“Piggly Wiggly has gone back to its roots as a group of independently owned Piggly Wiggly stores joined by a common brand, collaborative marketing, and the flexibility of individual ownership,” said David Schools, president and CEO of Greenbax Enterprises, Piggly Wiggly Carolina’s parent.

Put that way, it sounds a bit like IGA.