Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I can't quite remember exactly what was in this storefront (which predates Columbia Mall) when I was growing up, but I think it was some sort of hardware or sporting goods (of the angling type) store. At any rate, Party City has been here for many years now, but the writing was sort of on the wall when they opened a new location at Woodhill in the old Pier 1 spot. They were still open the last time I drove by, but I would not expect them to last into the new year.

(Hat tip to commenter That Guy)

This little Italian Ice shop was in the strip mall which also houses Very's, and was open, I believe, only this summer. I like the window art.

While there are certainly still restaurants in this area of Decker, the relocation of this Chick-fil-A is yet another hit to this intersection.

In the past, we have seen the loss of Applegate's Landing, Zorba's, The Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Rush's, Little China, Sonic & Taco Cid.

This store has now moved to a new building at the former location of Atlantic Bedding & Furniture at 7515 Two Notch.

I believe commenter Haley was the first to report the actual closing, though it had been anticipated and discussed in the comments for a while.

(Hat tips to commenter Haley et al).

UPDATE 10 August 2022: Added a picture I missed before.

UPDATE 1 September 2022 -- Here is the new location in operation:

I noticed while I was driving behind the Food Lion strip mall on Decker the other day that this small car lot in-between the plaza and the U-Haul storage facility was gone. Their website is still extant, and lists this site but their Facebook suggests they have relocated to Ridgeway though it's a bit unclear if this is permanent.

UPDATE 8 November 2022 -- There is major work going on on this building, not sure what for:

Cod Tail (a name, which I've said before, I really do not at all like) was the follow-on in this space to Rush's, which closed in 2019. Cod Tail opened sometime after February 2021, meaning it lasted a bit over a year.

Since I don't like seafood, I never checked the place out, but judging by the sign on the drive-through, they were having issues before they actually shut down. It appears that the Charleston location is still open, or at least the web site still works.

(Hat tip to commenter Haley)

UPDATE 7 June 2024 -- To become Tati's Island Cuisine:

I actually went to this Firestone location once some years ago when I had a slow-leak I needed fixed, and could not get in that day at the place I usually used. I was pleasantly surprised that as a walk-in, I got the whole thing over with in under an hour and was able to get on with my Saturday.

As you can see here, the branding is already down on this store, but the label scars are still clearly visible, and there hasn't been enough time to get the vending machines picked up.

(Hat tip to commenter Haley)

Originally I had thought that this place was undergoing a renovation due to the work going on there, but now I am not sure. Google says the place has been closed for two years (which would put it back to the start of the pandemic) *and* marks it as permanently closed. So I don't know if the work is asbestos abatement before they knock it down, or an upfit for another brand than La Quinta.

Anyway, it's definitely closed though it's odd they haven't taken the sign down.

Now Cabanas Restaurante with Honduran & Mexican dishes:

Cabanas was the follow-on in this longtime restaurant storefront to La Poblanita, and opened in 2016. I'm not absolutely sure there wasn't another restaurant in between Cabanas and the new tenant, but anyway, as of now this space is occupied by Tacos Locos.

I last posted about this place in 2008 when it had closed as Travelodge Suites. After that Benedict College had a plan to use it for overflow dorm space but that fell through because of regulatory issues. I had the impression they had actually bought it by that point though I may be wrong.

At any rate, at some point thereafter it opened as Red Lion Inn & Suites, apparently in the 2015 timeframe, though I was unaware of it. The place got pretty mixed reviews on the hotel sites, some of them unsurprising in a building that dates from the 1960s. The last proof I can find of the place being open is a Memorial Day 2020 post on their Facebook page, though a vistor post from the Chamber of Commerce suggests it could have been open into November of 2020.

Atlantic is the follow-on operation in this Two Notch storefront to Haverty's. That store closed in early 2018, and according to photos on Google maps, Atlantic opened there in December of the same year.

I have to say, after going into the lot for pictures, that the location is not very easy to get in and out of, especially if you are going East and the lot seems a bit small. Whether any of that is a factor, I don't know.

Given the dates listed on the (plentiful) roadside signs, it appears they want to wrap things up by the end of the month.

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

UPDATE 29 September 2021: Missed a picture:

UPDATE 13 March 2022 -- As mentioned in the comments, this building has been razed: