Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I noticed a real estate sign in front of this Two Notch building the other week and in checking further found an old Administrative Law Court decision that established this building was once The Locker Room, a name that sounds somewhat familiar to me, though I could not have placed it in this area.

The decision is somewhat interesting in that it is a denial of an ABC permit, mostly for the reason that the club's only idea for parking was a cockamayme scheme for valet parking to a lot two miles away.

I'm not sure if this The Locker Room was associated with the one in Eastover.

Another day, another .

This location of the floundering chain apparently closed on 6 March, along with the Conway store, leaving the North Myrtle Beach location as the only one in Horry County (I have not checked on the one Georgetown location).

This particular parcel is behind Walmart at the southeast corner of the intersection of US-17 Bypass and SC-544. The area is still growing, with an active Kohl's/Home Depot strip across from Walmart and a Target anchored strip on the northwest corner. This resturant itself apparently did a very good business, but the problems of the parent chain nonetheless dragged it down.

I was not aware of this little Island restaurant on Hardscrabble until commenter Sidney mentioned its passing. It looks like while the storefront has closed, you can still get catering.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

This much restauranted building, the home of the original Lizard's Thicket, is vacant again.

I'm not sure exactly when this happened as even when I'm pretty sure it was still in operation, it never seemed be be open when I drove by. Interestingly, this is the second time it has been, and has ceased being, a La Fogata. (Although this incarnation was apparently a buffet).

I'm pretty sure this event venue has been mentioned in Have Your Say at some point, but I can't find the reference now. It may be another piece of information lost in this summer's crash.

At any rate, this place is on Saint Andrews Road just North of Seven Oaks Shopping Center and apparently closed in 2014. The real estate writeup says it's still turnkey ready and parks 50. This small image from an old Lake Murray Country promo shows that it lights up well at night too.

UPDATE 18 March 2016: Commenter Andrew notes that Kendall's Catering was co-located here, so I have added it to the post title.

This Lexington Mexican spot on a Target outparcel was originally a Casa Linda.

As this closing is close to events in the news, I want to be very careful what I say, but you can read some background in The State here.

As of a few days ago, the Forest Drive Pancho's was still open.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

There's not much to say about the closing of the Lexington Ryan's that hasn't been said elsewhere. I will note that I am a little surprised that this store, and the Two Notch Store both still have all the branding and signage up. Usually when a company that is still active closes a store, they like to get that down quickly to avoid associating the chain with failure. In my mind that means things are perhaps even worse than they seem, if that's possible.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

UPDATE 7 June 2021 -- As mentioned in the comments, this place has been razed before becoming a gas station:

Also adding map icon.

Soul food purveyors Kiki's Chicken & Waffles have left their old, cramped, digs in Fortune Square, and have moved into the old Sticky Fingers location at Columbia Mall.

Judging from the parking lot Sunday 6 March, they will have no trouble filling the larger building..

Well, this is the end of an era. Edna's on River Drive predates me into this world by something over a year, so has been a Columbia institution longer than I've been alive. Of course, it has been an institution in a part of the town we used to think of as far away, so if we ever ate here growing up, it was long enough ago, and infrequently enough that I can't remember it. I'll have to try to remedy that before 31 March.

This kind of walk-up, no inside dining restaurant used to be common. In fact that's the way I recall Bell's and the original Garners Ferry McDonald's. Nowdays it is much less common, though you can still see remnants of the style, now worked around, in Zesto and Dairy Bar. I love the common-sense practicality of the cement blocks shorter customers can stand on to bring them up to window level.

Edna's also had an affiliated located at 2200 Two Notch Road, in a building that is still there, and a third location off Forest Drive, which was razed some years ago.

Here is a nice appreciation of Marie Rose Tyner, who ran the restaurant for many years and passed in the summer of 2015.

Read the rest of this entry »

Commenter Brian mentioned that BJ's Cafe near Richland Memorial appeared to be closed.

I drove by, and found that was in fact the case, but that there were a number of workers inside the building, so something is happening there, either a remodel for the same operation, or an upfit for a new one.

The BJ's web site gives no additional information.

(Hat tip to commenter Brian)

UPDATE 26 May 2016 -- Now open as Sunset Grill & Pizza: