Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Well, this is a surprise. I had not eaten at Harper's more than four or five times over the years, but it was always perfectly fine. In fact, the last time I went, probably just a year or two ago after an absence of a dozen years or more, it seemed a good deal more upscale than I recalled. The dedicated parking lot was also a nice touch, as parking in Five Points can be a hassle.

Judging from the WLTX story flagged by commenter ED, the chain itself is OK, and continues in Charlotte & Greensboro, so there was apparently some issue specific to Columbia here.

It will be interesting to see what happens to this site.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

UPDATE 12 March 2019 -- Work has started on the remodel for Home Team BBQ:

UPDATE 5 April 2020 -- Here are some additional pictures of Harper's I have just run across. They date from 1 February 2015:

The State reports that lulumon athletica (which apparently is spelled without capitals) has closed this Shandon showroom, of which I was completely unaware, and will be opening a full store in Trenholm Plaza on 18 November 2016, apparently in this slot:

which featured here back in August.

I took a few minutes to walk Crowson Road between Devine and Fort Jackson Boulevard today. I did not attempt to go onto the old Kmart which was rather cordoned off, but work is definitely underway back there. I heard from a waitress at Ruby Tuesday that the pet store unfortunately lost some animals during the flood. Currently none of those stores are open.

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One of the most iconic images from the flood was the inundation of the TitleMax building on Devine Street. Some other pictures were actually just as incredible, but the bold color scheme of this storefront really made it stand out. One such image is here, and one shot from the other direction is here.

I finally got a chance to take a look at the damage last Saturday (17 October 2015), and it is even more severe than I expected in that while I thought the building would be a total loss, I was somewhat surprised to see the lot a total loss as well. I'm not sure it comes across well in these pictures (shot against the sun for the most part unfortunately), but the whole lot on the Liberty side of the building has dropped at least three feet.

The Free Times suggests that the site will not be rebuilt:

"That was built in the floodway; it would never be allowed to be built today," says Erich Miarka, program director of the Gills Creek Watershed Association. "Since that building was completely destroyed, I don't think they'll be allowed to build there again."

As an aside, I'm not sure how you get two street numbers offset by six in the same building, but that's what seems to have been the case.

UPDATE 19 January 2016 -- TitleMax now has a sign up for their new location:

UPDATE 18 February 2016 -- It appears something is about to happen here, as the property is now fenced off. My guess would be a demolition:

UPDATE 28 March 2019 -- Well, today was the last day for this iconic building. It was still partly standing when I took the first couple of shots, but when I got done eating and drove across the street, it was pretty well flattened. I expect it will be on WLTX tonight, as they had a camera crew there:

UPDATE 19 January 2021 -- It appears a carwash will be going in here:

Also, adding a map icon.

Now the chicken you can't get here goes well with the tacos you can't get next door.

(Hat tip to commenter John Barrs)

As you know, I don't wish failure on anyone, and certainly the crew at this Cross Hill Market burger joint seemed nice enough and I'm sorry for their jobs, but to be frank, I couldn't figure out how they lasted as long as they did.

I ate here twice, probably about a year apart, the last time in April or May of this year. When I had decided to go, I picked the place because it was a very nice Spring day, and I knew they had patio seating. In the event, by the time I got there, the sky had clouded over, and the temperature had dropped too much for outside seating to be comfortable.

Taking myself inside, I remembered why I had not been back after my first time. The interior was sort of dark and cave-like, not cheery at all, and everything seemed kind of industrial and not homey. In addition, the burgers were quite pricey and I felt like I was paying Red Robin type table service prices for counter service. And while there was certainly nothing wrong with the burgers, I would not count them in the running for Columbia's best. Also, given the location, I wondered after both times why I hadn't just gone to Smash Burger across the street, something I'm guessing a lot of people did.

(Hat tip to commenter Elizabeth)

UPDATE 30 January 2016 -- As commenter MrBO notes, Midwood Smokehouse is now open in this spot:

There's already been a good bit of discussion on this in Have Your Say but Utopia Food & Spirits, a local music venue and restaurant across from Cross Hill Market, has closed after suffering extensive electrical damage on 20 June.

Although I posted about their move from Rosewood to this location, I'm afraid the place was not really on my radar, but they seem to have been doing good work providing a showcase for local bands. Unfortunately repairing all the damage was just too expensive given the current economy.

The Free Times has the story here.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

Commenter Rick sent this picture of his former business some months ago but I was holding onto it until I could dig up some current-ish pictures of the spot for comparison. I actually did take some, but as so often is the case, I can't lay hands on them right now. The ones I did find are from 2011.

Though I must have driven, or been driven, by this spot hundreds of times through the years, I can honestly say I have no recollection whatsoever of this building. I also have no recollection of Harper's being built despite always thinking of it as a "new" place.

Commenter Rick has recently mentioned that X Records was also located on this corner and also knocked down to build Harper's.

(Hat tip to commenter Rick)

UPDATE 1 June 2015: Changed Gas Station in the post title to Gulf Station based on the comments.

This is the third Qdoba in Columbia to close fairly recently, the other two being on Garners Ferry and Two Notch. WLTX has the story here.

I think the chain may be having troubles in general as google finds a number of closings nationally, and I have also noticed the Surfside location close. I will say that the few times I have tried Qdoba in general (I did not try any of the Columbia stores), I have not been too impressed. In particular, my burrito always fell apart.

I'm not sure whether the architecture of this building is meant to suggest Southwest or Brick Train Station...

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

UPDATE 26 August 2015 -- As mentioned by commenter James R, Salsarita's is now open in this location:

I've always liked Za's, though I go there less since they stopped being open to 11:00 on Thursadys. The only things I would change would be to make the individual pizzas a little larger, and to brew stronger tea. I suspect, however, that more than that is slated to change as the place is now closed for revamping as The New Za's. Commenter David suggests that it will then be under the same ownership as Cantina 76, a place I have somehow never gotten around to.

(Hat tip to commenter Dennis)