Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Commenter Beth noted a while back that this Chick-fil-A location was being torn down and rebuilt with double drive-through lanes.

The last time I looked at it, it was still open, though with some lot construction going on. Now they have definitely gotten into the rebuild phase.

Eat mor bef!

(Hat tip to commenter Beth)

Tijuana Flats closed their Forest Acres store back in March. Apparently the Greenville stores closed in March as well. This store opened after the Forest Acres one, and soldiered on for a few months longer, but with this closing, it appears the chain has totally left the state, which is a shame as I rather liked it (though their salsa policy was rather odd).

These pictures were taken shortly after the closing date, and the store was still being stripped.

(Hat tip to commenter TahoeChic)

I did another closing for Firenza on a store on Bower Parkway that never actually opened.

This one, in the Lowes plaza in Lexington actually did open, but not for too long. The State pegs the Grand Opening as 9 January 2018, with various free pizza promotions, so that was a run of about 9 months.

I had to check online to make sure I had the right place as there is no sign on the door, and all the fixtures inside look to be at the ready for the next day of customers (It was raining hard enough that I didn't get any pictures of the inside). It appears from looking at the company web site that this was the only store in South Carolina, and that the closest location is now in Charlotte.

So far Mod is the only one of this current wave of "fast" pizza places that I have tried. It's starting to look like perhaps a number of them built out too fast.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

Commenter James R notes that this Coldwell Banker is gone and that the web site indicates that Columbia is now being handled from Charlotte, which doesn't quite make sense to me as I think there is still an office at 1711 Gervais..

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

I was never sure what this small building on the way into Lexington was, but it seems it was a pool hall and music venue. Based on what I see from google, I believe the owner unfortunately passed away in December of 2017.

Although I did not know it, Chocolate Monkey is a small family owned chain of candy shops. As their Facebook explains, the owners have moved to Tennessee to run the stores there, and keeping up with the lone South Carolina store from there was just a bridge too far.

That's a good looking strawberry!

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

This Lexington Goodwill location, by K-Mart has moved down the street from 754 West Main to 1307 West Main. The State has the story, and a picture of the new store.

I don't go to Goodwill often becuause I really don't need more stuff and don't have to hunt through records and books anymore with the Internet, but you never know what you'll find. I got both of my nieces bikes from one of the Myrtle Beach locations.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

Looking at the company website, it appears that Shoe Dept. is the correct name for this store front with no The and no full spelling of Department. It also appears to be a brand of Shoe Show, Inc. which also operates stores under that name and as Burlington Shoes.

Commenter ED suggests that the adjacent Dollar Tree will be expanding into this space, and indeed this may already has happened, as I have not looked back in there since May.

Shoe Dept. appears to still have a store in the Lexington area at 1792 South Lake Drive.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

Back in the days of Speedy McGreedy & Gilbert Giddyup, Hardees was our goto place on road trips because unlike McDonalds or Burger King, they had "chewy" ice in all their stores. That changed sometime in the 70s or 80s, and with them adding chicken, and with me hating the smell of Chicken, I don't think I have eaten there after breakfast in 30 years or so.

This store was co-located with a convenience store/gas station at the I-20/US-378 interchange, and you can still get your burger on there, as both McDonald's and Chili's are still at this exit.

I like the glass blocks, btw.

(Hat tip to commenter Steve)

Not very good pictures here as I was shooting against the sun, but it's what I have..

This TCBY was just past the closed Rite Aid at 500 West Main Street. The sign says they were open for thirty years, which is definitely a good run.

In fact, that pushes it almost back into the era when TCBY stood for This Can't Be Yogurt instead of The Country's Best Yogurt, or at least that's the way I remember it. The first froyo places had to combat the notion that yogurt was a sour curdled health-food that people in the Soviet Union ate if they wanted to live to be 130..

(Hat tip to commenter ED)