Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I like some Lebanese food quite well, but I never got around to trying Mezza perhaps partly because of the location and partly because of the Hookah Lounge aspect, which I was afraid might put me in a smoking section, something I have less and less tolerance for as the years go on.

At any rate, that's not an option anymore as they closed up shop on Christmas Eve and the place's site proclaims that the space has already been sold.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

UPDATE 16 October 2013 -- It's now open as Le Peep:

I noticed yesterday that Five Guys on Forest Drive in the old Forest Lake Exxon building was closed. I figured maybe they were buffing the floor or fixing some sort of plumbing issue, but they remained closed on Monday and from what I can see (which isn't too much as I couldn't get a close look) there is major work going on in there. The website doesn't offer any additional information other than "closed today", but the fact that it's still listed leaves me to believe they will be back.

It will be interesting to see what they are doing, as the building was completely refitted just a few years ago.

UPDATE 23 January 2013: Added some daylight pictures, though still not very good ones.

UPDATE 31 Jan 2013; Work is complete and the place is open again.

UPDATE 1 May 2023: Interestingly, this is about ten years since my last update to this post. Five Guys is closed again for renovations, and is expected to reopen on 12 May 2023. I'm not sure exactly what needed changing: I've eaten there several times recently, and the place seemed to be in pretty good shape. I guess my least favorite thing is the faux-wood chairs, but obviously that's not the issue here.

(Also updating tags and adding the map icon)

UPDATE 6 June 2023 -- As mentioned, open again:

Here's a little barbecue joint (and live venue apparently) in between Andrews & Georgetown on US-521 west of US-17Alt.

It looks as though there were some attempt to rebrand it after Little PaPa's closed.

The pig does not appear to have fully grasped the gravity of his situation..

As I've said here before, we used to eat at Shoney's all the time when I was growing up, and when they were still affiliated with the Big Boy brand. The Hot Fudge Cake was always a special treat, and there were free comic books for us kids. The chain lost its way sometime in the 80s, dropping Big Boy and trying to branch out into areas they knew nothing about, like running motels..

The Columbia stores gradually started closing, with Beltline, Charleston Highway, Forest Drive and Two Notch all gone by the time I moved back to town.

This location, across from the old Kmart has seemingly been in trouble for years, as they stopped serving dinner and were open only for breakfast and lunch. As the marquee farewell message mentions, the two stores left are the Garners Ferry and Airport Boulevard locations. I haven't been in the Airport store for 20 years or so, but I've been to the Garners Ferry location several times recently, and find it rather neutral -- neither particularly good nor particularly bad. As commenter Andrew has posted, the chain has now hired a turnaround CEO to try and get the brand back on track. I wish them well, and suggest trying to make up with Bob..

UPDATE 18 September 2013 -- As mentioned by commenter Andrew, this place is leased, and is to become a Cook Out>

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

UPDATE 19 April 2016 -- As mentioned by commenter Andrew, here is the excavator on the Shoney's lot:

UPDATE 10 May 2016: Some pix of the cleared lot(s) through traffic:

UPDATE 17 May 2016 -- A couple more pix of the vacant lot, though still not very good ones:

UPDATE 28 June 2016 -- Construction on the Cookout continues:

UPDATE 10 July 2016 -- Siding up now..

UPDATE 10 September 2020: Update tags, add map icon.

The Carolina Wings at the corner of Gervais & Pulaski is the latest location of this local chain to close. (You can see other stores here, and here).

There was an article in The State about it. I didn't save the link, but the gist as I recall it was that the chain went into bankruptcy, and that as part of their reorganization to come out of it, they were closing stores where the rent was too high and the margin too low to make sense in their current status.

As of a few weeks ago, at least, their Pawleys Island location (really Litchfield, but everybody tries to say they're Pawleys nowadays..) was still open, so they still do have a bit of a non-Midlands presence.

(Hat tip to commenter MB)

UPDATE 14 July 2014 -- As mentioned by commenter Andrew, this building has now been sold:

UPDATE 20 April 2020: This builiding is now breastaurant Twin Peaks. Also, adding tags and map icon.

This spot on Saint Andrews Road just east of the I-26 interchange has been much restauranted over the years as you can see here, here, here and here.

In general my theory is that it's too hard to get back to I-26 from this spot, or indeed to do anything requiring coming out of the parking lot and going westbound on Saint Andrews Road. In this case though, there may have been other factors in play as sadly a security guard was shot and killed here on 25 August 2012 as detailed in this State story. While it appears the culprits were caught, that incident certainly has to have given people pause. And while it appears to have been related to a late-night switchover to night-club operation, still I would have hesitated to go myself after that even during the day. I certainly would not have taken any kids.

At any rate, the place seems to have kept on until Thanksgiving at which time they closed down, and did not re-open as planned. Curiously letters are already peeling from the roadside sign, and missing from the rooftop marquee.

UPDATE 27 Jan 2013: Added the bouncy-castle picture of the Grand Opening.

UPDATE 26 January 2023 -- Interesting this update is almost exactly ten years since the last one! Anyway, as reported in the comments, this building has been razed:

Also adding map icon.

UPDATE 8 February 2023 -- I got some more pictures from inside the parking lot this time:

Here's another case where a phonebook search turns up no information, but I'd guess Latimer Seafood has been gone for at least several years. The place was obviously started life as a service station, but the architecture isn't bringing any particular brand to mind for me.

Dave's is a longtime Two Notch fixture not far past Covenant Road as you head into the city. I had noticed it often over the years, but it hit me lately that I couldn't recall seeing anyone there over the last few months when I would drive home from downtown at night, and indeed it does seem to be closed.

This review makes it sound like a pleasant low-key kind of place -- rather old school in fact, with live music by a "Drifters" alum.

Tainos was a Caribbean restaurant in a Broad River Road building perhaps most notable for having been the original Lizard's Thicket. It's certainly been quite a number of things since then, though Tainos seems to have brought lizards back to the building.

The story told by the door notices is rather distressing, though of course it is told from the restaurant's point of view. Certainly it seems to have been a nasty surprise.

(Hat tip to commenter Soxinsc)

I haven't eaten here too often, but it was fine the times I did, and it has certainly managed to outlast most of the other restaurants in the Sparkleberry Crossing development, so I'm a little curious about what's going on at the San Jose on Sparkleberry Lane. I take it that the place will reopen after the facade work currently in progress, but I'm puzzled as to why it's being done in the first place. As I recall it, the building looked nice enough, and rather southwestern, with its stucco exterior. I can't see that adding bricks over that will improve things (though from the work around the side windows, it will still have a bit of southwestern flair), and it certainly can't be cheap.

UPDATE 13 December 2012: Updated the closing date from "December 2012" to "October 2012" based on commenter Sidney's info.

UPDATE 25 January 2023: I had completely forgotten I had already made this post, so when the restaurant was closed in early 2023, I made a new post. I am deleting that one, and putting it below:

Google shows this restaurant as Temporarily Closed, but looking at the signage, I see no indication that it is closed at all, much less a "We'll be back soon" sign.

It *is* definitely closed though, and I could not get a good view inside to say if the fixtures are still there. WIS says there was a fire here in May of 2022, but I see reviews from after that, so I don't believe that is a factor.

UPDATE 7 June 2024 -- Open again: