Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I have to admit I wasn't aware of Creative Kids in Five Points until I heard it was closing, despite having bought a good number of toys the past several years. It looks to have been an interesting place (though that big guy up front is a little scary :-)

(Hat tip to commenter Mike D)

Well, it looks like commenter Mike D was unfortunately correct when he predicted back in January that Fruiti Cup on Harden Street would not be re-opening despite the hopeful Closed Until February 15th sign you can see in the first set of pix.

As of early March, there is a Vacate or Show Cause writ on the door, and it looks like the place has been somewhat cleaned out. That's a shame. I recall that my niece and her daycare class all walked down to Fruiti Cup one summer day, and it was a big deal for them. (Though I myself would prefer a chocolate dip at Zesto..).

This location outlasted the Sparkleberry Square location by about four or five months.

(Hat tip to commenter Mike D)

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Well, this little Harden Street storefront has had more activity over the years than I was really aware of.

I vaguely recall Leon's Bookstore and think I went in there once or twice, though I can't recall actually buying anything. It seems that Leon was a last name, not a first name and technically has an acute accent over the 'o'. This record from the Secretary of State's office indicates that the store set up shop (or filed papers at any rate) in December of 1989, and dissolved through forfeiture in November of 1994.

I know nothing about Moxie Gift Gallery other than it comes up in google searches for "631-C Harden"

The Oops Company is a catalog clothing store which apparently moved to 601 Harden Street, and is still there. I figured from the name that it was a factory-seconds store, but that appears not to be the case.

Finally, the current vacancy is due to the closing of Five Points Nails and Spa. According to The Columbia Star they filed for a zoning variance on 8 September 2009, giving them a run of a bit over two years in this spot.

(Hat tip to commenter Mike D)

I'm not sure what Disorderly Conduct was. Google seems to think it was either a gift shop or a hookah lounge (or the arrest of a USC football player). I suppose if you combine those you would get something like a head shop (any mention of "hemp" always points in that direction as well..). At any rate, it was entirely off my radar though I must have seen it numerous times.

I hope the neon peace sign finds a good home, that looks as though it would be nice.

(Hat tip to commenter Mike D)

I wasn't sure when I took these pix that Locals on Harden Street next to Sharky's was actually closed, but driving by this evening (15 December) confirmed that the place is dark, and that the windows are now covered over.

I am way older than the college bar demo, and really never hit them when I was in it anyway, so I never went to Locals. It does look like the rooftop area would be a nice place to hang out and people watch over Five Points..

The web site is still up, though the latest photos seem to be from September 2010.

College Bar Scene says

Deserves a bigger crowd than it gets.

which may be some indication of what happened.

(Hat tip to commenter Jordan)

UPDATE 3 March 2012 -- Now open again as Pinch. Some of the flatbread pizzas on the menu look pretty good:

This little building at the foot of Senate Street by the Five Points Food Lion seems to have been a revolving restaurant/night-club site of late. When I first did a closing on it, it was for Ribby's & Gilligan's.

The next time I mentioned it was when the follow-on, The Cock Lounge closed. In that closing, I noted the opening of Your Mom's House.

Now it appears that Your Mom's House is gone, and the follow-on to *that* will be The Shack, a barbecue joint.

Well, Blue Sky Gallery isn't actually closed yet, but it's already in the news and I took the pictures when I went looking for Mary...

Unless you have a special interest in art, or have a friend who's an artist, Blue Sky is probably the only Columbia artist you can think of and his work has been prominently displayed around town for ages. The first Blue Sky piece I can remember is still my favorite (and probably the favorite of many Columbians): the Road-Runner-ish Trompe-l'œil Tunnel Vision.

The same parking lot off of Taylor Street has his other best known work, which people either love or hate: the giant fire hydrant. Personally, I like it.

The State article says (or implies) that he and his wife are closing the gallery to concentrate on international sales, though at 72 I wouldn't be surprised if he just wants to retire.

(Hat tip to commenter Mike D)

I had not really been aware of Mary, a small women's clothing store in Five Points until commenter Mike D pointed out that it had closed.

It's an interestingly non-descript name for a store, not even a possessive as in Mary's. For that matter, the sign is nearly impossible to see for the trees during the summer months.

It appears that another clothing store, the neighboring Wish at 719 Saluda Avenue is ready to move up the street into the old Mary location soon.

(Hat tip to commenter Mike D.)