Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I noticed this vacant pool hall on Sunset near New Brookland Baptist a week or so ago. They list in this years phonebook, and I think it would have caught my eye if it had been closed earlier, so I'm going with "Early 2017" for the closing date.

That's one buff & veiny looking chicken...

UPDATE 12 April 2017: I had the closing as "Early 2017" since they are in the Feb 2017 phonebook, but based on the comments, I've put the date back to 2014, which is quite a difference!

Well, this one surprises me!

I have been to this Bruegger's location a good many times during the past year or so. On weekends, I like to start my day (way after you start yours..) sitting with a cup of coffee and a good bagel while I surf the net on my laptop. During the initial stages of recovery from the great 2015 October flood, the Forest Acres Bruegger's was without potable water due to the Columbia waterworks imbroglio so I could not get coffee there (though they did drive in bagels from this and the Lake Murray store), and I spent a number of weekend mornings here. Last October or so when Forest Drive started having wifi problems, I would come back to this store or Lake Murray for my weekend routine if I had the time (or go to Panera if I did not, although their bagels are not very good at all -- I don't think they boil them).

Anyway, whenever I was here, it seemed to be doing a good business, and since I come later than the morning crowd, I always assumed they did even better earlier in the day. Commenter Brian, who reported the closing, heard second hand that it was an issue with the unexpectedly high price for renewing the lease. I don't know anything about that, but I will say that while the strip mall is perfectly fine, it is certainly not upscale, at least to my eyes.

(Hat tip to commenter Brian)

UPDATE 9 August 2017 -- the follow-on Poke Bros. is now open:

I was wondering what business this nice little old house next Triangle Lock & Safe on Sunset was. Looking at the pictures I took, I couldn't even get a street number (for some reason I didn't get out for a closer look at the time), but google maps came through and identified it as 1410 Sunset and the former site of yet another of the Midlands title loans operations. They listed in the Feb 2012 phonebook, but not the Feb 2013 one, so I am tagging the closing date as 2012.

Commenter Bobby reports this location closed as of today (16 February 2017). It's not a surprise as it's been in the offing for several months. As to what's next, as The State reported in December:

In the spring, the location will become home to the second area Charleston-based East Bay Deli. East Bay opened its first area location at 1426 Main St. in Columbia’s The Hub apartment complex downton on Nov. 14.

I used to eat at this location every few months. I liked to get the Pumpkin soup in the winter. Along with a bread bowl, it was a very nice meal. I enjoyed the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies as well; something they don't have at Panera. They used to have a pepper grinder at the condiment station that was nice as well.

(Hat tip to commenter Bobby)

UPDATE 18 February 2017 -- Well, they certainly started into the remodeling quickly:

I was vaguely aware of this place, but never got around to checking it out. The stone facade is something you saw on a number of buildings from the 70s -- I don't think anyone does that anymore.

Apparently this little plaza was the site of a bit of martial history.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

The Lost Cajun was the follow-on operation to Yumilicious in this Lexington strip mall.

The State article on the closing mentions that there is another SC location in Greenville, and as far as I can tell, that location is still open, and the chain's site lists a number of restaurants in other states.

As you can see, the signage is already up for this storefront to become a Palmetto Subs location.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

UPDATE 19 February 2022: Adding map icon and updating tags.

Commenter Jason reports the closing of this locally owned bedroom store at the I-20/US-378 interchange. Assuming they are connected with the Augusta Road location, it appears this was a retirement.

Cola Daily implies in passing, that this location opened around November 2015, so that's about a year. I don't think the little strip mall has been open much longer than that itself.

UPDATE 21 January 2017 -- As mentioned in the comments, this space is fitting out to be a Sub Station II:

I've been meaning to get some pictures of this former JT's location for a while now, but always seemed to be over there at night. For some reason, over the last few years, there seem to have been a *lot* of Columbia metro area car dealerships moving around and JT's moved to their new home at 4838 Sunset Boulevard in July.

JT's Fiat at 5223 Sunset also made the move.

(Hat tip to commmentor James R)

UPDATE 21 February 2017 -- This site has now been sold:

UPDATE 23 August 2017 -- Work has started here:

UPDATE 15 March 2018 -- Almost ready to open as Lidl:

If you look way in the back left in the first shot above, you can vaguely see the Buddy's storefront. For some reason, when I went by this little Lexington plaza the other night, I was thinking Buddy's was in the slot next to Brueggers and did not take any pictures of the right storefront. (I certainly should have known better, as I did a closing for Mr. Hibachi which was the real former tenant next to Brueggers..)

Anyway, the reason I was there at all (aside from pizza at Uno) was this little article from The State, noting that Buddy's Saucy Dogs had closed down, and is to be replaced by an "artisan taco restaurant, One Taco, Two Taco".

I like hotdogs; I don't know why I very rarely get them from a restaurant. I guess I automatically think of cooking them over a fire on a stick, or over the burner on a fork..

UPDATE 10 October 2016 -- Signage for One Taco Two Taco is up. Interesting that they are going the full bar route. That puts them up with Cantina 76:

This small Southern breakfast and lunch restaurant opened in April of 2013 as an extension of the original West Columbia location. Given the location and the fact that I rarely make it up in time for breakfast when I'm on my own schedule, I never had an opportunity to stop by though I do hanker for grits every now and then.

According to the linked article, Compton's replaced another breakfast oriented place, so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues with the next tenant.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)