Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I noticed while I was driving Clemson Road to I-20 recently that the front building on this long-time auto lot appeared to be vacant. The back building, with the huge flag which has flown for many years is still there, and appears to be Jim Hudson Chevrolet.

As nearly as I can determine the vacant building was first Capitol Hyundai and then Stivers Hyundai. It appears that Capitol closed sometime before 2020 (though their Facebook is still up) and Stivers took over the franchaise after that. Apparently they recently built a site on Farrow Road and have moved out there.

The Circle K at Clemson Road & I-20 is apparently undergoing the same teardown/rebuild of the gas islands that a number of other local stores have been through recently. I haven't kept good track of the time these conversions take, but it should be back in a month or so.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Guy)

UPDATE 2 October 2023 -- Still under construction:

There's been a lot of land cleared on the South side of the road between those two intersections.

Ten Ten was in Magnolia Pointe down from the old Piggly Wiggly. The first marquee sign I have for them says Chinese Restaurant, but a later one (and Google) says Ten Ten Oriental Restaurant and some sources say Vietnamese Restaurant, so perhaps there was a change of focus or ownership at some time in the last few years. At any rate, they are now closed and we will have to see what becomes of this storefront.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

While I was getting hot doughnuts on Clemson Road, I noticed that Landy's Pharmacy in the Krispy Kreme plaza is building a new home on Sparkleberry Lane ajacent to Sparkleberry Crossing.

The lot with the new building used to have a stand-alone ATM with a horseshoe drive-through lane, but that was many years ago. Both the current location and this one are a bit odd as they are quite close to a CVS, but I think this site will have a little better access (and, of course, is bigger).

Solstice's web page says that they had been here 14 years; I don't know why I kept thinking of them as a new place. At any rate, during that 14 years, I never managed to make it out. I figured since I'm not really into wine, dinner might be overdoing it, but looking at their lunch menu from time to time, with some really nice looking soups, I thought I might try that someday. In the end, the hours and the distance never quite worked out -- now I wish they had.

Going by their Facebook farewell, this is another one in the COVID-19 column. There simply wasn't the money coming in, or the surety going forwards to carry on.

2020 strikes again.

(Hat tip to commenter Carlton Templeton)

When commenter Sidney tipped that this store was closing on the 19th, I thought I would have the whole day to get out there and get some inside pictures. In the event, I think they closed for good at 5, and I got there around 6. I have to say that just from what I can see through the doors, it does not look as picked-over as I expected.

This store was part of the initial troubles faced by Sandhill, as the chain went bankrupt during the great recession, along with another Sandhill anchor (Sofa Express iirc) leaving the shopping center hurting for rent income. Bi-Lo eventually came out of bankruptcy, though it certainly has not had smooth sailing since then. I have forgotten all the details about who bought whom for all the Bi-Lo locations , but the plan is for this one to become a Lowes Foods.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 14 October 2020 -- That was fast! This place is now open as a Lowes:

Apparently we have another COVID-19 casualty here. New York & Company announced on 28 July 2020 that:

store closing sales have begun at all New York & Company retail locations across the United States. The firms are conducting liquidation sales across approximately 380 store locations in connection with the recent bankruptcy filing of New York & Company's parent company, RTW Retailwinds, Inc. ("RTW").

New York & Company is a specialty women's fashion retailer which offers modern, multi-functional wear-to-work apparel at affordable prices. As part of the sale, customers can expect initial discounts of up to 60% off original prices for all in-store merchandise including women's clothing, accessories and shoes.

USA Today provides a bit more detail:

"The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business, and we expect it to continue to do so in the future," Sheamus Toal, RTW Retailwinds CEO and chief financial officer, said in the release.

So, things weren't great before the plague, but that was the tipping point.

Frankly, I was not aware this store, or the chain, existed, so I can say very little else about it. It is definitely another hit on Sandhill, which really does not need any more problems.

I don't think Victoria's Secret is officially bankrupt, but apparently a planned buyout fell through leaving the chain in desperate straits. Of course the COVID-19 crisis didn't help any either, and they are now in the process of closing 250 some stores.

This Sandhill location apparently closed in June as reported by commenter Bethany, but when I drove by then, the signage was still up, and the merchandise was still inside -- the "Lock the doors" order must have come down very quickly. When I got back in early July, the storefront was cleaned-out and blank.

I see from the label-scar that they were neighbors with a maternity store called Motherhood which pre-deceased VS and for which I never did a closing.

(Hat tip to commenter Bethany)

I first wrote about this place back in 2007 in one of the earliest posts on this site. At the time, I was noting that it had ceased to be an Atlanta Bread Company. At some point after that, Panera moved in.

I ate there a number of times over the years, and considered it fairly well managed, especially compared to some of the other local locations, but looking at Yelp suggests it had begun to slip some lately.

The last reviews seem to be from the early April timeframe, which would put it during the current crisis. The door sign does not give that as a cause, just noting that they have "relocated" to Killian Road. Perhaps that was the plan all along. Certainly Sandhill is not a hot location now, especially in comparison to that area. In point of fact, I have eaten at the Killian location, and while it is more "modern", if that is the future direction for Panera, I really did not care for it.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Hat)

UPDATE 17 June 2021 -- Setting up to be Esther's Soul Food Kitchen:

UPDATE 5 June 2023: Add suite number to post title