Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I never stopped at this Market Express though I do remember noticing it from time to time. While the property light poles aren't quite the kind of gull-wing fixtures I really like on vintage buildings, they are a bit better than most current ones.

Commenter Larry suggests that the lot is to become a car wash which seems like poor siting to me, but then I don't drive that stretch too often.

(Hats off to Larry)

UPDATE 11 Aug 2021: Forgot to put a date on the initial post. I'm guessing "Spring 2021" and have added that.

I was unfamiliar with this micro-brewery off of North Main until commenter Alan noted its (apparent) passing.

According to The State:

The owner of Cottontown Brew Lab announced in April on Facebook that the neighborhood microbrewery would be closing temporarily for renovations.

In his post, owner Zack Jones said, “the operational costs of trying to build a regionally distributed brewery without the financial support of a proper tap room have meant that we rarely met operating costs.”

I'm not entirely sure of the context there but I think it means that their indoor operation was closed during the pandemic. The same article mentions that they hope to re-open as "a higher quality, indoor dining experience", but I did not notice any signs of construction as I drove past.

(Hat tip to commenter Alan)

This outlet mall is in Darien Georgia on the west side of I-95 Exit 49 (across the interchange from the old Cafe Risque). I used to stop there from time to time on my way to Fernandina as they had one of those overstock "Giant Book Sale" storefronts where I picked up an interesting title or two over the years.

Starting around 2015 however the place started going downhill fast. I'm not sure why, as at the time the decline started, the buildings were still well maintained and attractive, and I-95 was certainly as busy as ever. I suppose it was part of the general Internet-based retail hollowing out that we have seen in many places. Now the entire place is vacant, and even the antiques store, which I thouht might still be going, is just abandoned stock from the defunct operation, though it does host a large colony of feral cats.

Apparently there have been a number of things that have *almost* happened here, with one of them, International Decor Outlet getting as far as opening their doors before folding. I'm not sure exactly what went wrong, but the whole concept which seems to be something like connecting manufacturers in China with US storefronts seems odd and hard to understand, and the company also got into trouble in a Jacksonville mall and downtown Jacksonville as well.

In mid-2020 another developer passed on the mall due ostensibly to COVID-19. I suspect that is what led to Ruby Tuesday giving up the ghost. As I recall, it was still open when I drove to Fernandina in December of 2020, but the building is now a local sports bar. Along with the restaurant, several gas stations and convenience stores a victim to the mall's closure, and I may feature some here later.

You can see the mall in happier times in some nice pictures at this real estate site and note the demographics that make this place really dependant on Interstate custom: Less than 20,000 people live in a ten mile radius of the site.

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I have been on vacation, which I generally don't pre-announce for security reasons, and which probably seems longer because I was off in early July as well. I meant to do a few posts while on the road, but well, mice & men and all that..

Normal posting should resume today.

I appreciate your concern!

This mailbox store was the end unit in the venerable Jimmy's Mart strip on Two Notch Road. I noticed a few weeks ago that it is now vacant.

Somewhere in this area was a auto-carwash which seemed to vanish almost overnight, but I can't quite place it.

I noticed this vacant building on my most recent drive down Leesburg Road, obviously at one time it was the site of Agape Hair Salon, which google establishes has moved down the road to 1701 Leesburg Road. (Yelp puts the date as 2013).

It's tough to see anything going into this space without a major upfit. I suspect it will eventually be torn down.

During my Fourth of July visit to Fernandina Beach, I noticed that the historic Crab Trap restaurant on
Second Street was closed and gutted. We never ate there growing up, as my parents knew it was a fight to get me into a seafood restaurant, but as an adult I always meant to go someday have have the key-lime pie, probably with a burger up front.

I'm not sure when they closed, but looking around google & yelp & co, it appears that the last specific reviews are towards the end of 2020. I believe I would have noticed if it had been closed during my December visit, so I'm going to guess early 2021 as the date.

Their facebook page has announced they will be re-opening, and the way it is phrased sounds like it wasn't a sure thing. I'm still not sure it's a sure thing, as the place looks somewhat gutted, and nowhere near ready. We will see. I hope they make it.

Some time ago, the Toyota Center franchaise moved from Airport Boulevard to Sunset Boulevard and branded as Fred Anderson Toyota. As reported by commenter Alan, the franchaise is now Peter Boulware Toyota. I can't find any media stories about this online, but it apparently happened around May of 2021. Fred Anderson appears to still have dealerships in at least Charleston & Raleigh.

(Hat tip to commenter Alan)

East Coast Granite & Marble was the follow-on operation in this former residence on Sunset Boulevard after Chandler Chiropractic relocated. As far as I can tell, East Coast has also relocated, to 1809 Sunset Boulevard, which is on the other side of I-26 from here.

UPDATE 17 June 2025: Update tags.