Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

This Walgreens was perhaps the least Wallgreens-looking store in the Columbia area, having been an Eckerd and then a Rite Aid until 2018. I had been in there a few times in each incarnation and it was fine, but it wasn't one of my go-to drugstores.

Commenter Andrew speculates that the issue here was the lack of a drive-through, but it's a corner spot, so I think they could have put one in somehow (though I did not think to look at the side area of the store). At any rate, the issue wasn't Walgreens oversaturation -- I believe the nearest one to here is either at Spring Valley Commons, or on Forest Drive, neither of which is particularly close.

(Hat tip to Mr. Guy)

We'll stay with Decker Village for another closing. The store at the far right end of the plaza started as an Eckerd, transitioned into a Rite Aid and is now a Walgreen's.

This is the least Walgreen's looking Walgreen's in Columbia, and is the only one I can think of off the top of my head that is not a standalone building. To be fair, it wasn't a very Rite Aid looking Rite Aid either.

The Free Times reports that Pho Viet closed on 28 March of this year, something that I had not noticed.

I have only had Pho once, and it was here. I thought it was quite good, but I didn't care for the fact that they only allowed one tea refill.

This building was originaly a Burger King, and after that, it was a Zesto. In fact, you can still see the Zesto influence on the drive-through and Thank You signs.

The Free Times also reports that this is not the end for Pho Viet but that they are moving to 9308 Two Notch Road. This is the former site of Farm Bureau Insurance, and in fact that building was setting up to be a restaurant called First Class Bar & Grill which never came to fruition, but which probably cut down on the prep work for Pho Viet.

On a semi-related matter, there is apparently some type of major construction going on in this plaza, judging from the storage containers all about. I have seen a number of Food Lion stores being upfitted recently, so perhaps that is is, though I did not see any evidence of construction at Food Lion itself.

UPDATE 18 December 2019 -- Now Submarine Crab, one of the inexplicable wave of new crab restaurants in town:

UPDATE 14 May 2020 -- The new Pho Viet location at 9308 Two Notch is open (or at least was open before COVID-19):

Not long after closing the Forest Drive store, Bi-Lo continues to make changes in the Columbia market. As mentioned by commenter James R, and explained in this State story, three of Columbia's Bi-Lo's are being reflagged as Harveys. That brand is still associated with the chain, but targets a more value-conscious shopper. To me it seems a little awkward to admit your flagship stores aren't value-conscious, but there you go.

This store in High Point On Decker is already fully converted, with a new facade and even a marquee on the High Point street sign tower. Though I could have sworn I drove that stretch very recently without noticing any work.

According to The State, the other two local stores switching over are the one at the top of Saint Andrews Road and the one, which I can't bring to mind at all, on Monticello Road.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

Well, it appears that the Decker Village shopping center in the 2300 block of Decker Boulevard has been bought out, and is starting a major renovation. The first step has been to take the distinctive triangular steel canopies off of the shopping center storefronts. I have to say that so far, it is definitely not an improvement, as you can see in the "before" pictures below. Hopefully some new facade work will be forthcoming as part of the upfit. As the sign says, the new owners are Ziff Properties Inc, but so far their site doesn't have any details about their future plans for property.

Before:

UPDATE 1 June 2019: Change address from 2312 Decker to 2300 Decker, to match what is on the plaza street sign. Also added map icon.

The web site is still up, but it appears that fashion botique Rags & Bags With Style in the Food Lion / Rite Aid plaza on Decker is now gone.

I like the "look" of this plaza, which has a bit of a retro feel, probably because it actually is retro.

I almost forgot to get pictures of this McDonalds at High Point On Decker which has been closed the last month or so for a complete remodel/rebuild. In fact, I did forget until it is already open again for drive-through traffic. The dining room should be re-opened in the next few weeks.

I notice that the Chick-Fil-A down the street by Decker Mall is being remodeled as well.

This is one of those storefronts and names (like another on Decker) that give away nothing about what the company actually does. The slogan General Merchandise Wholesale doesn't add much more to it.

Whatever Beniel did, it thought it was worthwhile to locate in a retail plaza rather than an office complex somewhere, so I guess they did count on the public stopping by.

High Point On Decker, with the Bi-Lo and McDonalds is one of the more successful strips on Decker, but I know this slot has turned over a few times in recent years. I don't recall the other tenants except that I'm pretty sure it was a computer store at one time. I distinctly recall taking my father's printer there for warranty work, and it being a bit of a problem that I hadn't bought it there.

UPDATE 23 March 2012: Added Pick-A-Flick & Moovies to the post title based on the comments. Also, apparently this was *not* the computer store, which was next door.

V.I.C. Fashions was in the little Food Lion/Rite Aid strip shopping center in-between Decker Park Road and Brookfield Road. I don't know what V.I.C. stood for, but according to their still extant Myspace page:

We specialize in urban wear, New fashions, shoes, novelty items, anything thats hot, we have! From Request to Diesel, we have all the latest designs and fashion in stock.

I like the facade and walkway of this plaza. It has an old-time look sort of as I recall the original Forest Lake Shopping Center looking.

I believe this restaurant, on Decker Boulevard in the plaza with Rite Aid and Food Lion, was originally a Burger King. As I mentioned in discussing the vanished USC Burger King, once upon a time, all Columbia area Burger Kings were closed in a franchisee/corporate dispute. I believe that this one closed then and never re-opened.

After Burger King imploded, a Zesto's set up shop. Zesto is a local, greek-influenced fast-food outfit that has a number of locations in town. I believe chicken is their big selling point, but for me it will always be the chocolate dipped soft-serve cones. During the ongoing general flight from the Decker Corridor, this Zesto joined many other Decker restaurants and moved out on Two Notch road. Evidently they did not move far enough out, and with their new fortunes tied to a dying strip-mall, they did not last too long (that building is now a matress store).

Anyway, a couple of years after Zesto left, the current occupant, a Vietnamese "Pho" restaurant set up shop in the building. I've eaten there once, and found the Pho very tasty (admittedly I have no standard of comparison there) though they do limit you to one refill on the ice tea. I could be wrong, but I believe this place may be the only solely Vietnamese restaurant in town.

UPDATE 1 June 2019: Add tags, map icon.