Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I had the opportunity to visit Birmingham Alabama last weekend. The landscape was quite a bit different than I expected. For some reason I had it in my mind that Birmingham was a flat-land area, but actually it is quite hilly with many properties accomodating themselves to very uneven lots. My other impression of the place (which may be just a function of the areas I happened to drive through) is that it has been hit as hard or harder than Columbia by the recession. I could have taken a lot of pictures like these if I had had the time (or the inclination, as after all this isn't "Birmingham Closings").

This particular building caught my eye for some reason. It clearly did not start life as an Asian buffet -- The stone construction has a very 1970s look about it and it appears very Shoney-ish. The realtor's PDF says they are asking $1,100,000 for it. Judging by the immediate surrounding areas, I have to say: "Good luck with that.."

Well, darn -- another "I'll get there someday" restaurant is gone. On the other hand, the menu at the follow-on operation, Polliwogs looks pretty good.

The LoopNet listing for the building says that the owner of Icy's was retiring rather than business being bad at this location. It also says the building was built in 1984, which is about what I remember. I recall a promising looking restaurant starting there (not Icy's, which this site claims dates to 2004) just about the time I left town to live in Fayetteville. As for Icy's itself, it seems to me it may have started at the much-restauranted sports bar outparcel at Columbia Mall and then migrated down Two Notch, but I'm not sure of that.

UPDATE 12 June 2011 -- Here's the original Columbia Mall location for Icy's:

Also added the name Josh's to the post title based on the comments.

Well, this is already getting talked on on Have Your Say, so I may as well go ahead and post early today..

I realize this will get pushback from a lot of folks (sorry Jonathan!), but I never really found the food at Yo Burrito to be as good as the chain burrito stores. In particular I thought it didn't come close to my favorite, Moe's. The burritos always seemed on the dry side to me (particularly the rice), and while they had a lot of different types of salsa, they managed to do that without hitting on one I really liked (and they served it in ridiculously small cups). What I did like about the place was that the service was always friendly, and that they had a nice semi-patio area where you could sit and watch the passers by on Devine Street while sometimes a bird would hop in through the window -- I would do that for Sunday lunch from time to time. That may be possible again later -- note the "Thanks for 9 Years" door sign that says a new restaurant is coming this fall.

I'm pretty sure Yo Burrito started in Charleston, and that's where I first encountered them, at their original location near the College of Charleston Campus. There were famously evicted from there when the college took over the building, but were able to relocate in the same area. As far as I know they are still open in Charleston, but I have not checked..

Interestingly, I "learned" of this closing though my daily perusal of Google Analytics -- software that tells me what keywords people are searching for when they come to the site from search engines. Yesterday I got several hits on variations of "Yo Burrito closed", then commenter south mauldin confirmed it earlier today.

(Hat tip to commenter south mauldin).

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The original Columbia Hooters was on Broad River Road near to Dutch Square and Intersection Center. Keeping abreast of trends, the chain relocated from the distressed Broad River area to Harbison, and moved into the site of the former Hops brewpub at 5195 Fernandina Road. (Curiously, when Columbia got a second Hooters it also set up shop in a former Hops, this one on Two Notch Road).

After Hooters moved, the Broad River Road building (which was not built as a Hooters, but some other restaurant I can't recall right now) was knocked down, and rebuilt as a Taco Bell which itself was a relocation for the original Broad River Road store.

Also, as an aside, I just learned today that Hooters is part of a whole market segment, the name of which I just have to stop and admire: Breastaurants.

UPDATE 24 June 2024: Update tags, add map icon.

Commenter Heath noted this closing, saying:

An obscure one for you… a take-out place in Irmo in Friarsgate Plaza (7949 Broad River Road) called Joe’s to Goes (not a type-o) closed in the fall of 2010. They had great burgers, fries, and BBQ sandwiches. We loved to get burgers on Sunday night during football season between the end of the 4:15 game and start of SNF at 8:15.

When I went out to Friarsgate Plaza a while ago, it wasn't absolutely clear to me which space was Joe's, but given that Mudbone's seems to be still in grand-opening phase, and that there's a vacancy next to it, I figure odds are pretty good it was one of these slots.

Personally, I'm not big on take-out because part of the whole "restaurant" idea, for me at least, is to get out of the house for a while..

(Hat tip to commenter Heath).

I have to admit that when commenter badger mentioned this place (at the corner of State & Frink Streets) was closed, I had never even heard of Frink Street. As it turns out, I have crossed over it on my way down the 12th Street extension to I-77, but I'm pretty sure I had never actually been on it before this last Sunday. In terms of this blog, it presents something of a "target rich environment". Does anyone know where the interesting (and fun-to-say) name comes from?

From the look at the layers on the roadside sign, I'm guessing this place was a Philips 66 before anything else in the list, with that name being painted over for the Bait & Tackle name. The Secretary of State's web site says that Cayce Bait & Tackle went under in 2004, in some sort of forfeiture, and was followed by the Frink Street Social Club which has never been officially dissolved. I'm not sure if B & B would be the connected with the club or not, but kudos to them for not using the trendy (and incorrect) Grille spelling in their name..

(As an aside, the "look" of this building would tend to validate this one as a Philips 66).

(Hat tip to commenter badger).

UPDATE 12 June 2011: Commenter badger sends in this picture of the "Lizard Woman" mural that once graced Cayce Bait & Tackle:

Thanks!

But of course, I must remind folks of the real story of South Carolina's lizard infestation, related by my sister (who changed names to protect the innocent) in her book, The Lizard Man of Crabtree County

UPDATE 6 February 2012: Added Cayce Lunch to the post title based on information from commenter Sid whose family used to own the place -- be sure to read the comments! Also, apparently the Philips 66 was a separate building (now gone?).

Commenter Jonathan reported this closing, saying

Quizno’s on Sumter is now closed…The owner left a note on the door that he has closed immediately due to health concerns. He always had a smile on his face, and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Let me second those wishes!

This corner spot (on Sumter & Washington) is directly across from the old RCPL site, so I know I must have seen it many times over the years, and I know that it hasn't been Quiznos that long, but I'm drawing a total blank on what may have been here before, even to as basic a piece of information as whether it was a restaurant or not..

I thought I had already posted this one. I distinctly remember taking a bunch of pictures of the vacant building, but apparently I never go around to uploading them and making a post.

Anyway, this Chinese restaurant moved from its rather delapidated building up the street to 5432 Farrow Road. In the meantime, between when I took the original, missing, pictures, and when I took this one in January 2011, Pari Mini Mart & Deli has moved in. This makes (at least) two non-Chinese places with Chinese decor in town. (At least three if Grandma's hasn't changed their sign yet).

UPDATE 10 January 2012 -- A better picture of the new location:

"No Beatin' Good Eatin'" -- that's certainly a slogan I can get behind, though in the event we never ate at the Copa. This part of town, I must admit, was something of a mystery to me growing up, and to some extent still is.

I didn't really expect this building to still be there, but as it turns out there are a lot of old buildings on Edisto Avenue and in the general vicinity. At least I'm pretty sure it's the Copa building. The ad is from the 1970 Southern Bell phonebook, and this building easily dates from that era, or before.

I'm sure the building has been a number of things since the Copa, but google doesn't really turn up anything except this loopnet listing which suggests it was last a warehouse (and claims a 1980 build date). For a warehouse, it's quite small..

Commenter Heath notes this closing as follows:

Another Friarsgate Plaza closing from the summer or early fall of 2010 – Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. They were located there since at least the early 2000’s – after buying out Tez’s Mexican Cantina that was located there from sometime prior to 1990 or 1991 when I first knew of it. This Monterrey’s was owned by the same group that owns the location on Knox Abbott Drive in W. Columbia, and had slightly different recipes than the other group that owns the Vista, Columbiana (Afton Ct.), and Killian Road locations. The El Monterrey location you see on Broad River near I-20 (and possibly still open on Parklane?) is yet another splinter off of the other Columbia locations.

I think I vaguely recall seeing another Tez's somewhere in the area, and of course there are a number of Monterrey locations as Heath mentions, but I had no idea this one existed. I have to admit that I only just got it through my head fairly recently that Broad River Road goes all the way to I-26 and beyond as growing up I always associated it purely with the Dutch Square/Intersection Center/Boozer Shopping Center area.

(Hat tip, obviously, to commenter Heath)

UPDATE 30 September 2021 -- Now Tavern On Broad:

Also adding map icon and updating tags.