Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

This place sits beside and behind the local San Jose restaurant, and most of these pictures are from the parking lot there since it was raining. I get out this way very seldom and know pretty much nothing else about Helping Hands

This is the second time I've been here however as someone said a few years ago that this place was closing then, and I took a few pictures (which I can't now find), but they ended up staying open. This time seems to be definite, as the closing sale is being advertised and there is a real-estate sign. LoopNet has a map, showing that the property is much more extensive than I had realized.

(Hat tip to commenter Ellen)

I tried the Philly Pretzel Factory on Rosewood shortly after it opened (it was fine), but was unaware of this location in the Publix plaza on Broad River Road. Judging from the Google reviews, this place opened in February 2020, possibly the worst time in the last 100 years to open a restaurant, and the door sign pegs the closing at 30 October.

(Hat tip to commenter Ellen)

UPDATE 15 March 2022: Updating tags.

UPDATE 23 January 2023: Updating tags.

I have noticed this building on Broad River Road for two things over the years. First, there are all the mirrors (and in fact I think it used to have more mirrors on the outside walls than it does now when they are mainly confined to the roofline), and second for the fact that one address did double duty as both a used car lot and a hair salon: One on the outside, and one on the inside.

RealtyTrac says the building was put up in 1987, with seems about right, and LoopNet has a really nice picture that confirms what I was remembering about the mirrors above.

I'm not sure about 2019 for the closing date, but it seems only fairly recently have I noticed the building vacant.

“Our business is doing extremely well, so it’s a funny time to be getting out of the business,” Sanderson says. “I’m starting to work on my 80th birthday and it’s beyond retirement time.”

I suppose I'll be featuring all the former Sandy's locations here before too long. This is one I actually ate at at least once, and probably a few more times after shopping expeditions to Dutch Square. This store is part of the row of restaurants and other businesses that fronts on Broad River Road and backs on (or has access to) Diamond Lane in the former Intersection Center. I see now that (presumably) the church which bought all the back property has put gates cutting off through access to Diamond Lane, which I can understand -- it was kind of an odd setup.

The State has more details on Sandy's history and closing.

UPDATE 4 February 2021 -- As mentioned in the comments, this building is to become Asian Express:

UPDATE 24 June 2021 -- The Asian Express appears poised to open:

UPDATE 13 March 2023 -- Asian Express is open, and has been for a good while:

I admit to having been completely underwhelmed the two (I believe) times I visited a Fatz. In theory I wanted to like a local chain made good, but in the event I just was not impressed. This location, on Broad River Road past Lake Murray Boulevard, was not one I had been to, though I was aware it was there. As commenter Heath (who provided some of these pictures, including the one showing that the power meter has been pulled) noted, there was no sign on the door, or any indication that the store was closed except for a makeshift barricade at the front, and the total lack of cars.

On the side of the lot there is a real estate sign, but it appears to pertain to the property behind Fatz, and as commenter Tom notes, the Fatz web site still lists this location, so I am not sure what is going on.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath for heads-up & pix)

UPDATE 31 August 2020: Update tags.

UPDATE 24 April 2024: Now an Konnichiwa Japanese restaurant:

Apparently, Hall Marine was bought out by MarineMax. The link does not give a date for the sale, but commenter Mitch reports that the local Hall closed on 30 September.

With Lake Murray in the area, I would have expected this meant that they were consolidating at another nearby MarineMax, but instead it appears they have exited the Columbia market entirely. From their store finder, it looks like the closest (and only SC) outlet is in Charleston.

I find the 7459 Broad River Road address a little curious as the place is obviously well off Broad River Road and appears to be on Western Lane.

(Hat tip to commenter Mitch)

Apparently the company is still around, but it appears that the Irmo location has closed up shop. Looking at the site, some of the homes are quite nice, though I think you really need a good setting and a big piece of property to make it work -- there's the old story about Abe Lincoln's father moving whenever the neighbors got close enough that he could see their chimney smoke.

LoopNet has a nice aerial view of the property

I last wrote about Heroes & Dragons in 2016 when they moved from their standalone building further down Bush River Road back to Boozer Shopping Center (where they had been before, in the Manifest wing).

Now they have moved again, this time much further down Bush River Road, almost at I-20 in fact, and are, I believe in the old Power One / Sissy's Furniture building:

I've bought a number of things at the various locations over the years; I'll have to get by the new store as well.

(Hat tip to commenter Nobody)

UPDATE 7 June 2019 -- The new location:

I was going the wrong way to get into the parking lot when I noticed this Broad River Road Jiffy Lube was closed, so these pictures are shot from a distance and against the sun, but the building looks exactly as you would expect.

This location is directly across the Intersection Center entrance from the Church's Chicken which recently closed and re-opened.

I've been to Jiffy Lube (though not this one) a number of times with no problem, but recently I have found I like the faster places like Express for simple oil changes.

The State says this store opened in January of 2016, giving it just a three year run. The company states they gave it a

thoughtful review process

which I take to mean it was losing money hand-over-fist given they could not have paid off the initial investment in that period and would, I suspect, have stayed if there were a reasonable prospect of doing so in the near term.

Given how long it has taken to re-purpose other buildings on Broad River Road, I see this building as an empty white elephant for years to come.

(Hat tip to commenter Dustin)