Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Utopia in the old Doc's Gumbo Grille location on Rosewood has moved to 4330 Fort Jackson Boulevard, the old Pizza King location across from LaBrasca's.

According to their Kickstarter for moving info, they lost their lease here, which suggests that something new will be going in fairly quickly. The place has seen something of a revolving door set of restaurants since long term tenant Keg O'Nails moved out.

(Hat tip to commenter Travis)

Update 11 August 2014 -- Here is the new location:

Millwood Coffee was the followup operation to Cafe Millwood after a bit of preliminary tease that it would become a pizza pub.

For one reason or another, I never got around to trying the place out, though I like coffee. I believe I did take some pictures of the place in operation, but I cannot lay my hands on them today. When I find them, I will post them.

The Harper Insurance Agency sign sometimes has a sign for the current business at 2911 as well, but today I included it for the bird's nest.

(Hat tip to commenter Diane Anderson)

I'm afraid Goatfeathers is another Columbia institution (30+ years) I let slip by without a visit. The place closed on 31 May as the owner retired to Hawaii.

All the signage and displays are still up however, and The Free Times says it might re-open someday.

Hungry hungry hippo..

I've always wondered if this little diner by the North Main Sonic was originally connected with the old North Main Street Varsity Restaurant.

While the Varsity name and pennant have always been there as far as I can recall, J S Renee is fairly recent. Back in the 90s and until sometime in the 2000s, the sub-marquee was D'Jasz which apparently also had a location on Rosewood.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

Personally, I'm still not exactly sure what an Ultra Lounge is, and how that is different from a nightclub, but Pure, in this much re-purposed modernistic building on Berryhill Road was one, though it is one no more.

If you look closely in front of the door in one of the shots, you can see a bag with the 2014 phonebooks. Like trying to determine which issue of The Free Times is in the rack in a closed establishment, unclaimed phonebooks are another timing clue. In this case we have further evidence however in the fight poster which touts a 22 February match. Given all that, I'd put the date in early February 2014. I have to say though, that the place looks pretty decrepit for having been open that recently. The dress-code posters, for example, have already faded into illegibility. (Interestingly, the last time they tweeted was 2010).

(Hat tip to commenter)

Well, there was some chatter on Have Your Say the other day about Church's Chicken, so I thought I would bring out these Church's pictures from Aiken. They were taken on a fairly recent visit this March, but I believe the restaurant has been vacant since before I left Aiken around 2005 or so. The place is on the stretch of US-1 (York Street) between I-20 exit 22 and downtown proper. Or perhaps you can consider Hampton Avenue to be the start of downtown (and Aiken's weird double streets). LoopNet says the building is in the city limits proper. (They also seem to be saying it can be reused, but the current state is a good bit more decrepit than the picture they use, and I have my doubts).

Sulley's was the follow-on operation to D's Wings after that moved out to Sparkleberry. They opened in late June or early July of 2013, so they were there for about a year.

This was another place that was on my "eventually" list, that I never got around to visiting in time. I don't know why that is, as it is fairly close to me, and when D's was there, it was a comfortable spot for a leisurely meal.

(Hat tip to commenter John)

UPDATE 22 October 2014 -- The upfit for the next tenant, J Peters Grill & Bar is well underway and they are hiring:

UPDATE 17 November 2014 -- J. Peters is now open:

Wing Nuts was in the old Sesame Inn slot in the Outback plaza on Harbison. (I used to call it the Barnes & Noble plaza). Online reviews were not.. overly positive, but then nobody goes online to leave a good review.

Interestingly, the place has been on the market as a turn-key running business since last October (October 2013), as can be seen in these two LoopNet listings, here and here listings. That apparently did not work, as the place is now fairly gutted.

(Hat tip to commenter Ellen)

8 September 2013:

15 June 2014:

This place, by Yoghut in the Adesso building at the corner of Main & Blossom Streets was apparently a sister operation to Peppers House Of Pizza on Garners Ferry, and continued on several months after that one closed. If it were going to close, I guess the timing is not surprising. This building is right across from USC, and I imagine that anytime school is out is hard on the restaurants in this whole little strip (especially given the problematic parking for non-locals).

(Hat tip to commenter Payne)

UPDATE 28 June 2019: Add map icon.

Bangkok Thai-Chinese restaurant has moved across Garners Ferry from its old home in the Southern Salvage plaza to the Wal-Mart outparcel plaza. This is the former site of Larry's Subs and Steve's Subs. It was also the site of Japan Grill about which I need to do a closing.

(Hat tip to commenter Badger).