Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

After eating at Moe's last week, I noticed that Universal Copies in the little bi-level University Corner strip-mall, is closed and papered up.

Then, when I went to make this post, I looked back on the University Corner post and realized that I had missed the closing of the place before Universal: Bits & Pizzas.

It's been a few years since I noticed this, but somehow I never got around to mentioning it: The Pizza Hut attached to the Columbia Travel Center plaza closed up shop a couple of years ago. As I recall, it was not a full Pizza Hut, but one of the "express" type operations.

I suspect it was a highly unpleasant job, but someone apparently climed the sign tower to elide the "Hut" portion of the Pizza Hut placard!

UPDATE 26 June 2023: Updating tags and adding map icon. Also, just noticed I apparently have this Pizza Hut listed twice, once on the Wilson Boulevard address, and once on the Plumbers Road address. Oh well.

Milano Pizza was one of the follow-on operations to the old Piggly Wiggly in the building at 3724 Covenant (which is basically at the corner of Covenant & Bethel Church). After The Pig moved out, the building was subdivided with a Dollar General taking the biggest slot on the left of the building.

The right side of the building, like Gaul, is divided into three parts. Tobacco World tried and failed to open in the middle suite, and Milano opened in the front one. (The rear suite has never shown any signs of life).

Since I like pizza, and it's fairly close, I had put Milano on my mental list to visit, but somehow it never seemed to come together. I do however, drive past the building almost daily, and it seemed to me that the hours were becoming rather erratic lately. I was never quite sure if it was actually closed, or not, but the most recent time I stopped by, I took a look inside and saw that the fish tank was gone, so I'm pretty sure the place is closed though no sign or note has been posted.

UPDATE 3 September 2013 -- Well, it's official:

(Hat tip to my sister)

UPDATE 9 April 2014 -- Here are a few pictures from early January 2014 of the new building, which is now open. (Unfortunately, it was a very grey day):

This little stripmall storefront on Platt Springs Road has apparently been a number of restaurants over the years.

I'm guessing Jilanos was the last as I can't find TK's Pizza in the phonebook, and when I enhance that blank sign and turn it around, I get the Jilanos marquee:

Well, it appears that Pop's NY Pizza on Harden Street is no more. However, it also appears that this was more a re-flagging than a complete reboot as the new operation just switches out the first word to become Liberty's NY Pizza.

In either case, I've never been enthralled with the New York style of pizza, so I never got around to Pop's and though I wish them luck, probably won't to Liberty's either.

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I first knew this place as Al Amir.

After that closed, a bar called Stingers set up shop, and I totally missed the fact that it had closed until *its* follow-on operation, Marinoni's had also closed.

Actually it may not be strictly accurate to say that Stingers closed. According to this Free Times story, the same owner ran both restaurants, so it's more accurate to say that Stingers transitioned into Marinoni's. Unfortunately, I never got to either, and I have to say the pizza described in The Free Times sounds really good.

IrmoJeff had a bit more to say about Stingers here.

(Hat tips to commenters IrmoJeff & Jonathan)

I mentioned in my closing for New York Butcher Shoppe & Grille that my visit to take those pictures was only my second to Lake Carolina.

My first vist was actually some years earlier, probably in 2008, when I read a review for a new pizzeria. I suspect it was in the Free Times, but could have been in The State's "Weekend" section. At any rate, it was an excellent review, and I resolved to check it out though I had no idea in the world where Lake Carolina Way was.

My difficulty was somewhat compounded by trying to make the visit well after dark, but I finally found my way in. I have to admit that given the trouble I had getting there, I was seriously underwhelmed by the actual pizza experience. I forget exactly what put me off, but I *think* it was one of those places where they didn't have anything smaller than a 14" pie, and I ended up having to order a calzone, which was mediocre. At any rate, though the details are a bit fuzzy now, I was never tempted to go back, and the place had a very brief run, opening in 2008 and apparently closing in 2009.

For some reason I did not think to get a good picture of the new tenant without obstructing trees, but it is currently Tasty China.

Zeus Pizza was the follow-on operation to Tony's Pizza in Parkland Plaza, using in fact a good bit of the same signage and interior setup.

As you can see from these pictures, the restaurant was a long narrow space. I think it might have benefited from more window tables, but the one time I ate there, I found it pleasant enough. As I recall, I had the stuffed shells with garlic bread, and it was perfectly fine. At that time, the restaurant had a cloth sign for "Zeus" hung over the "Tony's" lettering, as you can see in commenter Andrew's photos at the Tony's link above. I presume that if they had made it over the initial hump, they would have eventually gotten permanent letters over the marquee.

I'm not exactly sure when they closed -- The April issue of Skirt magazine is still in the inside rack, but that may be bi-monthly. I'm going to say it was probably at the end of May giving them about an 8 or 9 month run.

(Hat tip to commenter badger)

UPDATE 1 August 2012: Zeus is open again. See the comments for details, but here is the website.

UPDATE 4 October 2012: As mentioned in the comments, Zeus is unfortunately closed again:

UPDATE 8 October 2014 -- Monterrey will be moving here from across Knox Abbott when their current building (bought by USC) is torn down: