Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I thought about going to Norton a few times, but they weren't open on Saturday, and Best Buy was, so that was the deciding factor there. I was a bit surprised to notice that there was a closing sign on the door (which I thought I took a picture of) saying they were shutting down temporarily due to COVID-19, but when I did a google search, I found that the building went on the market in October.

As far as I know the Broad River Road location is still open.

UPDATE 22 March 2021 -- Here are the pictures of the door sign I mentioned:

While I was checking out Bi-Lo, I noticed that this Hibachi storefront in the same plaza was vacant. I can't find out much about it -- there is only one Yelp review, but I'm going to guess it was another COVID-19 casualty.

My Gym was on a Sandhill endcap, on the Lowes wing. The last review I can find for them is about a year ago, so I am pretty sure this is another business closing we can chalk up to COVID-19.

This is the same suite that was originally home to The Grilled Cheese Company.

I have been holding off doing a post on Deno's because it wasn't clear exactly what their status is; however, at this point they are clearly closed for a long-term, if not forever, despite the fact that there is no real-estate sign, and all of the furnishings and equipment are still in the building.

Somehow I had it in my head that Deno's was a seafood restaurant, and so never went. Looking online now, I think I clearly would have liked the place. The last review I see on their Facebook page (which has not updated since 2014) is from February of 2020, so I think clearly COVID-19 was an issue here, and the roadside sign does mention that they were open for takeout for some time into the pandemic.

(Hat tip to commenter Barbara)

There was a question on Have Your Say recently as to whether the Chinese buffet in Crossroads Commons (down from the former Bi-Lo) was still open or not.

It's not. As far as I can tell from Yelp, it closed in early 2020. I'm guessing that COVID-19 played a role, but the reviews had been trending downwards for a while.

I don't seem to have a picture of it, but there is one here as part of the LoopNet listing.

Here is another downtown place I was unaware of. Their still somewhat working web site says the place opened in 1981, so that's a nice long run. I'm unsure exactly when they closed, but I can't find any review newer than about a year old, so I am guessing that they probably closed during the early stages of the 2020 COVID-19 infestation.

I think they also had a second location in Jefferson Square.

These pictures come from Alan LEBON, so big thanks to him for that, and for commenter Justin for the heads-up.

(Hat tips to Alan LEBON & commenter Justin)

Ale House Lounge (or as some listings style it: The Original Ale House Lounge) sits in a little plaza off of Beltline which, like Lake Wobegon, the decades cannot improve -- or at least to me it seems unchanged from the first time I saw it.

I can't find any media stories online about the closing, but commenter Joelc chalks it up to limited bar hours, presumably due to COVID-19.

(Hat tip to commenter Joelc)

J. Crew apparently has the distinction of being the first major retailer to file for bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 infestation, and this store at Trenholm Plaza, which was the only Midlands location, closed as a result of that.

ColaDaily has the story, as does WLTX which also points out that this leaves the shopping center with four vacancies.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

The B.L.D. Diner is the follow-on operation in this Trenholm Plaza space to Hooligans (which was a follow-on to Edisto Dairy). The name is an acronym for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, but the one time I went there, they were still ramping up, and started closing during my late lunch.

I presume this closing (which is "until further notice") is due to our old friend COVID-19. I hope they do come back, but Trenholm Plaza has certainly taken some unexpected hits this year, and this is one more.

(Hat tip to commenter Larry)

Here's another COVID-19 closing in the Vista.

I only went to the Carolina Ale House once, for a class reunion, and thought it was pretty good. It's certainly a nice building and a good location. Of course part of that is that it's quite large, so for someone else to move in is going to take a considerable investment.

The Post & Courier has the story.

(Hat tip to commenter Gary, etc)