Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Griffin Chophouse replaced Kingsman Restaurant in this spot in 2020 (the Parkland Plaza location of Kingsman remaining open) and closed in mid-March of this year. There was also another location of Griffin Chophouse in Chapin which closed as well. Royal Butcher, also in this building, was apparently under the same ownership as the Chophouse and closed at the same time.

The current plan is that the space will re-open soon as a new restaurant, Bone-Appetite, although the site given for that operation does not seem to exist yet. The Lexington Chronicle has a good article explaining the ins-and-outs of the situation.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

Honestly, I had good intentions about The Whig. There was plenty of notice given that it was going to close, and I was determined to visit it at least once before it did. In the event, as usual, good intentions did not a solid plan make, and I never got around to it.

The first time this underground space in the basement of Columbia's oldest skyscraper caught my eye was when it had the oddly compelling name The Frog & Brassiere, two things that don't usually go together. The Whig opened in 2005, and lasted 17 years until ongoing renovations to make the host building a hotel, and plans for a basement hotel bar as part of that resulted in the lease not being renewed.

You can read about it in The State and The Post & Courier

I have seen Hwy 55 operations pop up here and there in the area and on the coast, but I have never gotten around to trying one. Apparently it's a North Carolina outfit that started out as Andy’s Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers. Not that I get to Elgin often anyway, but it looks like I won't be trying one here.

The Free Times has a bit on the closing of this location, saying that it is to become a fast-casual Greek operation, Gyromania Grill sometime in February or March.

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

Here's a closing I just happened to notice during a drive-by the other day, but which happened late last year.

Lexington Jewelers in downtown Lexington closed on Christmas Eve of 2021 due to the retirement of the owner, who had been running the place for almost 40 years. You can read about it in The State or The Post & Courier.

The main sign here somewhat confusingly calls out Everlasting Impressions, but this brideswear shop is As One Bridal, and they have moved to 4350 Saint Andrews Road.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

This Main Street convenience store was shut down recently by the Columbia Police Department as a public nuisance. According to ColaDaily:

CPD officers have responded to more than 200 calls for service at the location since January 2021. Documented criminal offenses at the store include drug possession and distribution, larceny, loitering, urinating and defecating in public, alcohol violations and litter/trash accumulation.

Commenter Robin also notes this WLTX story to the same effect.

(Hat tip to commenter Robin)

Way back in the dark ages when I first started this blog (working by candlelight on a steam-powered computer), I wondered why I wasn't getting any hits or comments. I figured I would eventually get traffic from Google but it wasn't happening, and I felt like I was posting into a black hole. I finally decided I could either give it up, or take a shot at doing a little advertising.

After poking around on their website for a while, I figured that I could afford a month or so online advertising with The Free Times, and looking at their requirements, I came up with this ad:

Although I was really dragging (it later turned out I had pneumonia..) I burned it to CDROM, made an appointment and took it down to this office (which was pretty nice). Things went very smoothly (which was good because I could barely sit up straight), and the ad rep was helpful, looked at the files and got right on it. The next day, as I recall, the ad went up, and almost immediately I started getting comments (I suspect some were from Free Times staff the guy had told about my odd little project).

(It also later developed that I wasn't getting any Google traffic because the default WordPress setting is "do not allow this blog to be searched". Who knew..)

Anyway, that was the only time I went in this office. I know that before this location, they were at Sunset Boulevard near the Chicken Plant, and that after the Post & Courier bought them, they moved to a building on the corner of Gervais & Harden where they are now.

UPDATE 28 March 2022 -- Here is their current office at 2101 Gervais Street:

I stopped at Drip a few years ago when I had an appointment down town and I had a bit of time before I had to be on the grid again. I thought it was a decent cup of coffee, not something I would fight parking to have again, but not bad at all.

They closed the main street location on a temporary basis in October, and have recently decided with the ongoing labor and supply-chain problems, they are just going to make it permanent and concentrate on their Five Points location.

The State has the story here.

(Hat tip to commenter Dustin)

This suite in The Addesso has held a number restaurants, not all of which I have tracked, but the most recent was Bruno’s Taqueria. According to their Facebook they closed at 5pm on Christmas Eve of 2021.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any convenient parking, so all I have are these long shots. We'll have to see what happens here next.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

Main Street Public House has closed, and will be replaced during the holidays by a pop-up concept: Miracle Cocktail Bar.

After that, Prohibition Columbia restaurant & bar will open in the space, a new location for Charleston's Prohibition. ColaDaily has the story here.

I hate to admit it, but I was not even aware that Main Street Public House existed, though it definitely looks as though I could have found something to my liking on the menu.

(Hat tip to commenter Larry)