Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

This closing was noted last week on Have Your Say where there was some speculation that Bruster's would have done better on Two Notch than tucked away by Carabba's on Graces Way.

I'm not sure I agree as the Graces Way lot effectively fronts Sparkleberry, and sits right across from Spring Valley High School, which had to be, I think, a factor in the store's siting. Given that all the other Bruster's in Columbia have shut down, and that the only Grand Strand location has as well, I tend to think the whole "no inside seating" concept is iffy. Think about it. The fact that Baskin Robbins has seating gives it a whole season (plus rainy summer days) during which it can draw and Bruster's can't. Where are you going to take the kids' basketball team for ice cream after the game in January? Probably not to a place with outside tables only.

I took the daylight pictures on Saturday 24 January 2015, at which time a crew was actively getting the equipment out of the store. As you can see in the night pictures, the menuboards are already gone.

And just as an aside, I *do* think the Graces Way siting works against Carabba's. They have just reduced their hours, which is Sign #1.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Hat, making it a Hat hat tip..)

UPDATE 6 October 2016 -- Now a Pelican's SnoBalls:

UPDATE 30 August 2021: Updating tags and adding map icon.

I've always liked Za's, though I go there less since they stopped being open to 11:00 on Thursadys. The only things I would change would be to make the individual pizzas a little larger, and to brew stronger tea. I suspect, however, that more than that is slated to change as the place is now closed for revamping as The New Za's. Commenter David suggests that it will then be under the same ownership as Cantina 76, a place I have somehow never gotten around to.

(Hat tip to commenter Dennis)

This small building in Capitol Shopping Center at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Meeting Street in West Columbia ha
s been a number of things over the years.

Judging from the look of the place, it started as some sort of fast food chain outlet, but I am unable to recall which. Somet
ime after that, I believe I recall a Greek restaurant setting up there. Most recently it was Dish & Desing Catering u
ntil sadly the owner passed away and they had to close.

These pictures were taken not too long after Halloween, as you might infer from the deflated Jack O'Lantern somebody left in t
he parking lot.

I was at Panera on Garners Ferry this evening and I noticed that the Marble Slab Creamery has moved across the parking lot from the Cici's wing of the shopping center to the Panera wing. The new location is actually the old Starbucks location which became vacant when Starbucks moved into the old Qdoba location.

One of the very first closings I did was for Wendy's on Two Notch in Dentsville.

Now the other Two Notch Wendy's, out past Spring Valley by the Brickyard Shopping Center site has closed as well.

The place seems reasonably easy to get in and out of, there's even stoplight access, but I note that the adjacent former Quizno's has never been replaced by anything so perhaps I'm missing something about the spot.

I wonder if Nick's needs another location?

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 17 May 2016 -- As mentioned in the comments, this building is about to open as a Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen:

UPDATE 7 June 2016 -- Popeye's is now open:

I got off kind of on the wrong foot with Rita's as I read their slogan Ice Custard Happiness before walking over from Barnes & Noble and was expecting some rich frozen custard treat. In the event, I ended up with something like an Icee. Looking at their menu, I now see that I should have explicitly mentioned the word "custard" in my order rather than just specifying a flavor. Oh well.

You can see a small portion of the shop in operation in the first picture in the Sesame Inn closing. In the meantime, you can still get your fix across town at the Sandhill location.

(Hat tip to commenter Bob)

This Subway was way out on Garners Ferry in Eastover, next to the Hot Spot. Restaurants are pretty thin on the ground in this area, especially national chains, so I was a bit surprised to hear they had closed, yet not too surprised because customers are pretty spread out as well.

(Hat tip to commenter Gary)

UPDATE 19 February 2016 -- It's now Hot Sub Stop:

UPDATE 17 June 2022 -- Updating tags, and adding a possible closing date and map icon.

Commenter MrBill points out the Cayce "Arby's" is "temporarily closed".

I can't add any explanation to that, but I can say that there were staff inside, busily doing *something*, so I would expect that this closing really is temporary, unlike many so announced.

(Hat tip to commenter MrBill)

UPDATE 25 November 2014: Commenter Andrew reports this place as open again, so I have updated the post title to reflect that.

UPDATE 17 February 2023: Updating tags and adding map icon.

I noticed this pair of co-located derelict businesses driving US-601 through St. Matthews towards I-26 this Spring.

I wasn't sure at first what the restaurant was, but a close look at the menu board pretty well pins it down to a Sub Station II.

I can't think of any obvious reason why both businesses in this building would have failed at what seems to be more or less the same time. While the restaurant market is fickle, laundromats are places where you must go. I'm guessing early 2000s for the timeframe here, but the building does seem rather enthusiastically vine encrusted, and if the realtor posting the sign does succeed in selling the place, I doubt there's much that can be done beyond knocking the place down and starting over.

UPDATE 31 March 2022: Updating tags. I can't add a map icon because I have no idea where this was now.

UPDATE 1 April 2022: Commenter Andrew has located this place on Google maps (it was apparently still standing in 2018), and following his lead, I come up with the address of this place as (probably) 181 Harry C Raysor Drive, St. Matthews SC 29135. With that, I am able to make a map icon. Also, I will put that in the post title. Harry C Raysor Drive is the local name for US-601.

The Carolina's restaurant building at the Gervais Street Clarion is being razed as part of the upfitting of the property to become a dual branded Hilton Garden Inn / Home 2 Suites.

I never went there though over the years I heard it advertised many times, especially with New Years Eve packages at the hotel. I'm not sure exactly where the fancy spiral staircase fit in, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing you would usually find in a hotel restaurant.

The State notes that the hotel was Sherman's Columbia headquarters and is a historic site. I confess I'm a bit confused about exactly what part of the property dates back that far. Surely the actual hotel building on Gervais is not that old.

(Hat tip to commenter badger)

UPDATE 4 November 2014 -- I had originaly titled this post Carolina's Restaurant, but according to the comments, that restaurant is still in service as part of the hotel proper:

The restaurant itself is still open. It closed temporarily during the construction, and then re-opened. The images that you've posted above were not the actual Carolina's Restaurant. That's actually inside the Clarion Hotel. That building was for banquet halls, conventions, and that sort of thing.

UPDATE 13 November 2018 -- Four years later and work is still ongoing, though things are shaping up: