Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

The Richland County Sheriff's Department has closed nightclub La Rumba on Decker right next to Decker Plaza:

"I'm all for going out and having a good time, but going out and getting shot is not having a good time," Lott said on Tuesday.

The Sheriff said law enforcement had responded to 83 other calls at La Rumba in the last two years, which also contributed to the closure. "I cannot allow these clubs to stay open when people are dying, when people are getting shot," Lott said.

The Google reviews for the place are "interesting" as well.

You can read about it on ColaDaily, The State, WLTX & WIS

I don't believe I have yet successfully eaten at a Hickory Tavern. The first time I tried, at Woodhill, they had just closed the regular dining room and were serving at hightops only. Since the last time I enjoyed sitting in a high-chair, my mother was feeding me, I declined. The second time, also at Woodhill was during the tail-end of the pandemic when nobody had any staff. I sat on the patio, and after an hour nobody had taken my order, so I just left.

Anyway, they were apparently bought-out in 2025, and the new owners are evaluating all the locations going forward. Apparently this location in The Vista did not make the cut, though with the demolition of the Five Guys building it does now have a nice view of the Capitol dome.

You can see the story at WIS or read about it in The State.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie, et al)

Seven people shot over 65 days is a bit much, and the RCSD shut down this Broad River Road area club after a killing on 14 June. Today the RCSD announced they have arrested the alleged killer, who frankly, should already have been in jail.

It's a fairly small club for all the trouble it has caused, and I was not tempted to get out and get any closer pictures.

You can read more stories on WACH and The Post & Courier.

(Hat tip to commenter Lavender)

I can't really find out anything about Laguna Sports Bar other than I saw it open as the follow-up to Club Colorz. Judging by that picture, and a Google Streetview from the following year, it did not last long at all.

However, the main reason I was looking at closings for this address again is that the right wing of this twin building pretty much burned down, and the left side took a good bit of damage in the rear as well. I don't believe there will be anything new in this spot until the whole thing is razed and rebuilt.

Also, while I have usually seen this listed with 6212 Two Notch as the address, apparently it is also, or perhaps is now 1486 Bella Vista Drive.

The Post & Courier reports that Jay's liquor, beer & wine licenses were revoked on 6 May, so I'm using that date for the closing.

This place had apparently been on the edge for a while as there had been a number of incidents, such as a shooting on 29 March as reported on WIS.

Lots of businesses have come and gone in this long depot building, but I don't see that I have specifically done any postings on Suite D, and I can't recall was was here before. Anyway, its the Vista so I'm sure something new will be in before long.

(Hat tip to commenter badger)

Well here's an interesting case: The Island Bar & Grill closed while I was avoiding it, and a new place opened, and closed all before I noticed it due to staying away...

This corner slot in Village Shops has been a number of places over the years. One I recall specifically is Villa Katrina, a Mexican eatery which, I believe, still has a location in Myrtle Beach. Anyway, the Island Bar & Grill had been there a number of years, and was an OK local option for the most part with decent burgers and other bar food, and a nice deck when the weather wasn't sweltering. That gradually started to change in recent years, leading to a number of sub-par dining experiences to the point the the place finally got taken off the list when I went there with my college room-mate & his wife and they lacked half the ingredients for her order without ever mentioning that fact until plopping it, basically inedible, on the table in front of her. After a previous visit with esentially no service, that was the final straw. You can see similar experiences in the Google reviews.

Anyway, while I was avoiding it like the plague, the place apparently closed around Spring of 2025 (Hey Google! -- You obviously know the exact date for every review, what's with this "A Year Ago" stuff?), and re-opened as Pawleys Back Deck, something I did not know until I wondered about the lack of cars in the parking lot and went to take a look. The reviews for that operation are somewhat better, but they seem to have left business in an involuntary fashion at the end of March.

By the way, if you are looking at the plaza sign, Tuscany Bistro closed at least a year ago if not more and was replaced with a Fish Camp.

Put this one down to the changing craft beer landscape and South Carolina's new bar regulations. As I understand it, the saturation of the craft niche made operating a retail outlet iffy in the first place, while the difficulty of putting a kitchen in this building made transforming into a full restaurant problematic as well. Of at least that's my takeaway from the numerous articles about the closing.

I was not really aware of this place, despite it having been open for eight years, and admit I probably would not have visited knowing it was not a full restaurant.

Columbia Craft Brewing continues to operate as a brewery, and we will have to see what's next for this space.

You can read about in in The Post & Courier here & here, in The State, or on WIS or WLTX.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

The Woody moved from the Vista to this Main Street corner in 2020, and continued in operation after the passing of founder Woody Windham last year. Unfortunately with the new SC liquor liability laws, the family is unable to keep the doors open past October.

They say they hope to open in a new location as a real restaurant, but there are no firm plans for that yet.

In the meantime, the upstairs neighbor, Hendrix, will be taking over the space to open a pizza restaurant.

You can read about the closing in ColaDaily, The Post & Courier, The State, and on WLTX.

It seems to me that South Carolina's nightlife scene has been greatly altered almost surreptitiously & through the back door.

Well, I am happy to report that the best sandwiches on the Strand are available again. After a fire closed Dagwood's in Surfside back in January, the place underwent a several month rehabilitation, opening again last week as reported on their Facebook.

Here is a WMBF story on the fire. According to the chain's site, this building has been a Dagwood's since 2006. I am pretty sure I recall it being a Shoney's before that, and where we ate Thanksgiving dinner one odd-off year when all our relatives were away.

I look forward to a BLT+ the next time I am on the Strand!

Tee'd Up was the follow-on operation in this Lake Murray adjacent building to Shooey Malone's. Judging by the farewell note on the place's Facebook, the owner had another avenue open up, and a chance to sell the property as well.

Although the note is a bit vague, something else if obviously coming, and work has already started on the building for whatever it is.

(Hat tip to commenter JamesR)