Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

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:

Google calls Cost Plus World Market a "furniture store". I had never thought of it that way. The only time I went inside this (or any World Market), I was attracted by the food aisles, and didn't really notice any furnishing. Indeed, I think the only thing I've ever had from the chain was a gift of some exotic chocolate bars one birthday.

Commenter Rashaad Egister pre-called this closing back in September of 2019. Apparently World Market was bought by Bed, Bath & Beyond back in 2012, and is caught up in a round of closings for that chain.

(Hat tip to commenter Rashaad Egister)

UPDATE 29 January 2020: Added the first two daytime pictures from 6 October 2019 at top.

UPDATE 14 October 2020 -- This space is not setting up to be an American Eagle:

The last time I was at Sandhill, this frame shop in the Bi-Lo wing, was planning to work through the holidays and close at the end of the year. With H. Rubin and Rita's, there are now a number of vacancies on this side.

This H. Rubin Vision Center at Sandhill appears to be closed and For Lease, though as with the Bush River Road location, there is no notice on the door, and there is still stock inside. I believe this means that all the Columbia stores are closed, and the main website is down.

I don't really get over to this side of Sandhill very often, and I didn't actually remember that there was a Kitty's here. My favorite's were always Hallmark Lite: 1/3 Less Serious Than Regular Cards, and I was disappointed when they discontinued them years ago. I still do like the Shoebox label, albeit not quite as much.

This closure leaves Kitty's without a store in Columbia, though they are still in the Midlands with Irmo & Lexington locations.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

I have to admit that the one time I tried Rita's (the one in Harbison) I was not impressed. I had the Key-lime ice, and it had such an after-taste that I eventually had to buy a salty snack to chase it with. Perhaps I would have been happier with custard.

At any rate, the one at Sandhill is now gone, leaving just the Lady Street location locally. Of course as there is now apparently a Pelican's on every corner, your options for slushes are still pretty good.

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 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:

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.

Gold's Gym moved into the old Ashley Furniture Homestore location in 2010.

Now the local operation which had the Gold's franchaise has decided to rebrand their five Columbia locations as MUV Fitness (I won't attempt the heavy-metal umlaut):

I don't know why Gold's didn't want to expand, but they have apparently been having their own problems at the corporate level: Gold's Gym President and EVP Leave, New CEO Appointed.

(Hat tip to commenters James R and Andrew)