Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Frank's Car Wash on Clemson Road has moved across the street and about a quarter mile towards Sandhill. I think I heard this was because of the Clemson Road widening project, but I don't really see how that figures in, as the road is already four lanes at this point.

The new location, which you can see in the last two pictures, is the former location of the Putt Putt Fun Center, plans to put a hotel on that site having fallen through.

Another day, another Rite Aid. This one was on Longreen Parkway at Clemson Road. You can see it with all the branding in place at thie LoopNet listing.

I could be wrong, but at this point I believe the only Rite Aid still in operation as such is the Forest Acres one.

(Hat tip to commenter Bobby)

UPDATE 29 November 2021 -- As mentioned in the comments, now a Popshelf:

Also adding map icon.

People kept saying that the Mr. Suds carwash at Clemson & Hardscrabble Roads was closing due to the road widening, and I kept driving up there and saying to myself "What are these guys talking about? The carwash is well behind the Circle-K and shouldn't be affected by the road issues at all. In fact it's open, and there's a car in there now.."

Of course, I was looking at the Mr. Suds associated with Magnolia Pointe, and I finally realized there was another one nearby when commenter Sidney gave clear directions ("kinda across from the Waffle House"). By the time I got there, everything but the fence, some support beams and a few incidentals was gone. Almost as if the lot had been washed clean..

(Hat tips to commenters cheryl, Sidney and probably some others)
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JP's 4 Corners was the followup operation to Arizona's and kept some of the same menu after the switchover. Since you could get a burger there, I would have been happy enough to try it out, but in the event never got around to it, especially as both Five Guys and Red Robin are also located at Sandhill.

I have to say that the reviews at Open Table are interesting to say the least, and almost prompt me to add a Sign #7 to the Signs Your Favorite Restaurant Is About to Close list:

7) Your restaurant is in Columbia South Carolina, and has no air conditioning during the month from Mid July to Mid August.

As far as I can tell, the Greenville location is still open, or at least no reviewers have noted it as closed yet. I believe that one also was once an Arizona's. The Web Site does appear to be down however as at least one review does note.

(Hat tip to commenter Steve)

UPDATE 4 May 2019 -- This place is refitting as Yummi Crab:

UPDATE 18 December 2019 -- Yummi Crab is now open:

I used to eat frozen yogurt from time to time, but have pretty much quit. If I am getting a cold treat, I don't want a "fat free" anything, I want a "fat full" experience. Be that as it may, if froyo is your thing, it's not your thing here anymore.

(BTW, you always hear that the three most important words are 'I love you', but really it's 'Hot Doughnuts Now').

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Hat)

I was at Sandhill the other day and noticed that this Regions Bank on the outer perimeter was closed.

I see a google review from four months ago indicating it was already closed then, so I'm putting the date as January 2017 though that may be after the actual date. I've always thought Regions Bank was an odd name. It was especially odd when BOA was still Nations Bank because then it sounded kind of copycat. Now it just seems nonspecific.

UPDATE 26 June 2017 -- As reported in the comments, almost open again as a Navy Federal Credit Union:

Ultimately I can't go regularly to any place that does not have fresh brewed ice tea. Somehow or other I ended up going to this Which Wich twice however. I forget what brought me back the second time -- perhaps I was thinking my subpar first experience was a fluke. In the event, they managed to get my order wrong both times, despite having a system based on minutely specifying orders in writing. That, along with the tea and the odd decor means this chain is just not a concept that's up my alley.

(Hat tip to commenter cheryl)

Update 4 May 2022: Now Mimsy's a Vegan & West African Fusion restaurant:

Also adding map icon.

I was sure I had done a closing for 230 Forum Drive before, but looking at Alphabetical Closings, I don't see anything.

At any rate, H. H. Gregg is the latest casualty of the ongoing Amazon-era retail meltdown. With the closing of Circuit City, I thought that the appliance & electronics big box market would be able to support the two remaining stores, Gregg and Best Buy, but in the event I guess not. For that matter, it still remains to be seen if *one* store is sustainable long term.

I believe this is the only H. H. Gregg I have ever been in, and I was only in it once. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just checking it out, and as I recall, my impression was that I liked Best Buy better.

Here is a very interesting article from The Indianapolis Business Journal about this Indianapolis based company, its storied history, and the path to bankruptcy this March 7th and then quickly after that, the slide into liquidation:

In the early 1980s, when Detroit-based appliance retailer Fretter Inc. entered Indianapolis and challenged HHGregg on its home turf, HHGregg bought full-page ads in the Detroit newspapers hawking its own merchandise and offering free shipping.

Those were heady days for HHGregg, which built a loyal following in Indianapolis with an unwavering focus on customer service; an army of well-paid, full-time commissioned salespeople; and an avalanche of advertising that resonated with consumers.

It was a winning formula for founders H.H. and Fansy Gregg, who opened the first store at 4930 N. Keystone Ave. in 1955, and for the family members who helped build the chain to more than 200 locations in the decades that followed.

“The customer-first attitude came from Mr. and Mrs. Gregg,” said Ken Beckley, an HHGregg executive from 1983 to 2001 who also was the face of the company’s advertising. “When I was there, we preached to employees that job No. 1 is to take good care of the customer. If you do that, profits will follow. We never put profits first. We put customers first, and it paid off.”

The strategy helped fell a long list of rivals—including Fretter and Highland Superstores Inc., another Detroit chain that dove into Indianapolis in the early 1980s. Both firms later skidded into bankruptcy, with a Highland executive calling Indianapolis its “Death Valley.” In 1998, Circuit City Stores Inc., then a retail powerhouse, arrived in Indianapolis, only to land in liquidation a decade later.

Now, done in by a long list of problems—including overexpansion and a collapse in sales of consumer electronics, once its biggest business—HHGregg is joining the trash heap of failed appliance and electronics retailers.

The company’s demise has been unfolding in slow motion for years, but the final unraveling came with breathtaking speed.

Reminds me of Hemingway's famous quote.

Aside from Gregg, this can't be very good for Sandhill either.

Well, the last time I drove out to Sandhill, I got a picture (above) of the vacant Wet Seal storefront so that I could add it as an update to the Wet Seal post, which I distinctly remembered making..

Except that apparently never happened..

So anyway, Wet Seal has closed. The teen retailer went into bankruptcy in 2015, and never really made a go of it again after coming out. Business Insider has the story. The final closing was announced on 20 January 2017, and the first pictures were taken on 29 January, so I would suspect the end came for this store in early or mid February.

Somebody has bought the web site, but it's not clear exactly for what.

Given the amount of unleased space like this in Village At Sandhill proper, I was surprised to still see new buildings going up, as was discussed briefly in the comments for Family Christian Stores.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

I was going sort of the wrong way, and didn't get great pictures, but here is the former Circle K at the intersection of Hardscrabble & Clemson Roads. Commenter Andrew reports that it has moved to the catty-corner opposite in a former Kangaroo Express/BP location possibly since the two locations would be under the same chain ownership after Circle K bought out Kangaroo. Unfortunately, I forgot that part of the comment while I was driving around, and thus did not take any pictures of the other corner..

(Hat tip to commenters Clay & Andrew)

UPDATE 15 May 2017 -- Finally got back to get some better pictures of this place:

UPDATE 9 August 2017 -- As reported by commenter Jason this place has now been knocked down:

UPDATE 29 March 2023: Adding map icon and updating tags.