Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

OK, I'm going to say this. The current practice of using lawfare in Five Points, weaponizing South Carolina's idiosyncratic liquor statutes against businesses you don't like, is wrong. Yes, Five Points had a problem, but shooting the patient is not a cure. I guess in this case the fact that there were prior legal troubles was a factor, but the empty storefronts speak for themselves.

The State has more details on this, and on who will still be open.

(Hat tip to commenter Tom)

As far as I can reall, I have only eaten at Nicky's once, when I was in need of a late-night pizza. I don't remember anything specific about it other than it was fine.

The place has recently announced they will not renew their lease for this location, although the Lexington store will remain open. Asked for further information, they responded Frankly, as you can see at the link..

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

This one came and went before I had even heard of it.

Sneaky Pete's was the follow-on operation in this below-street suite to longtime Columbia fixture Blue Cactus Cafe.

According to The State, Sneaky Pete's opened in October of 2019, and according to The Free Times closed on 9 December 2019, with the owner stating:

[it was] an environment unsuited for his “family-style restaurant.”

ColaDaily profiled the place during its brief run and gives some interesting information on the theme:

Occupying the former Blue Cactus location, Sneaky Pete’s seeks to evoke an atmosphere of Depression era dining from the art deco sign at the entrance to entrees like Booze Runner Wings, Prohibition BLT, and Tommy Gun Nachos.

I'm not sure how much USC still uses "textbooks" in the old sense. I haven't discussed it with anyone now in college, but my impression is that a lot of the books now are in ebook form. Since it sounds like the South Carolina Book Store is really getting out of the textbook market, that may be what happened.

At any rate, when I was in college this place was a sure visit every semester. In those, pre-internet, days this store and the USC owned textbook concession in the Russell House had a duopoly lock on the student book market. I usually tried to get all my bokos on campus, but invaribly there were one or two that were sold out and had to be tracked down here. They would also buy back textbooks, and from time to time growing up, my father would take me here with boxes of books that he had been sent in the hopes he would choose them for his classes, and would sell them, giving the proceeds to my sister and me. (I think he felt it wouldn't be quite right to take the money himself).

Aside from the texts, this place also had a heady mix of pencils, pens, notebooks, art supplies and drafting paper. There was a certain very specific smell when you walked in from all the paper and pencils. If I recall correctly, I had to get all my drafting supplies for my all-time least favorite class: Introduction To Engineering Drafting (or some similar name). I had a compass, gum erasers, drafting pencils, drafting paper and straight-edge. All of that, and after trying all day, I still could not draw a bolt in 3D perspective.

Despite driving past this store many times since college, I don't think I have been in since the 1980s, and I now it's too late to see if it still smelled the same..

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

Well I don't have a lot to say about 5 Points Roost, having never been in. The place is another casualty of Dick Harpootlian's liquor license enforcement project.

I suspect the most fondly remembered operation in this spot remains Frank's Hotdogs.

Cellar On Greene is on the West side of the Claussen's building, and adjacent to another restaurnt under the same ownership, Mr. Friendly's. I have never been by, but google says:

Creative pub plates are doled out in a chic space with wines, craft beers & a retail wine shop.

The owner says the place will probably become a catering operation, Fat Beagle Catering. The State has the story here.

To the best of my memory, I have only eaten at the Korean/Southwestern Blue Cactus Cafe once, probably in the late 80s, when it lived up to its reputation of being quirky and slow, but with good food. Since then, it has changed ownership within the family, and has now finally closed.

The Free Times has the story.

The storefront is in an interesting location: A sort of sunken walkway along the front (back?) of a large building with many other tenants. It's not hard to get to, other than the usual Five Points parking issues, but if you are just driving by, you would never know it was there.

(Hat tip to commenter ED)

As I was getting pictures of the Pour House, I noticed this vacant building more or less across the street from the Five Points Post Office.

My first assumption is that this Ultra Tan location had moved into the Food Lion complex on Harden Street:

but looking in my old phonebooks, apparently the two locations were open at the same time, so I guess not.

UPDATE 14 July 2017: Added Open Fire Grill based on the comments.

This Five Points bar (in the former Frank's Hot Dogs location on Harden Street) has been in the news a good bit lately. As The State said in May:

The Pour House bar in Five Points bar has agreed to give up its business license later this month and to close by 2 a.m. until then.

Columbia police announced the agreement Friday, saying owner Daniel Wells has “voluntarily relinquished” his license as of May 22.

Police Chief Skip Holbrook last month declared the bar a nuisance, citing a history of fights and other problems at the bar, including underage drinking and serving alcohol later than permitted by city law.

And later:

A former owner of the Pour House, a popular bar in Five Points that was closed down after police called it a nuisance, is asking a Richland County court to throw out portions of a USC student’s lawsuit against him, saying they exist only to humiliate the owners, tarnish their reputations, raise passions and inflame the media.

As I recall, I was only in the place once, probably sometime in the 90s, to see The Impotent Sea Snakes, who had just been in the news for outrageousness. In the event, they had to tone down their show, and weren't good enough musicians to make up for that -- or that was my opinion at the time.

I just noticed that I did a Pour House post, when it was closed temporarily for remodeling. I think that's when the monkey decor went away.

It's always good when a place has time to plan and leave a thank-you to the customers before closing shop, as Tavern On Greene has done. Of course the phrasing does lend itself to certain very old punchlines, but it's a nice touch.

This place is slightly up the hill from Papa Jazz and just below Blue Cactus. It's a part of Greene Street without much parking, as I noted when I had to park a block away to take these pictures. Of course if you're walking into Five Points from campus it's one of the first spots you hit, so perhaps that evens out.

(Hat tip to commenter Midnight Rambler)