Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

One of the congratulatory graffiti on the windows of this Murraywood Centre personalized gifts store mentions that they have been in business for 26 years, which is certainly a good run and prelude to a well deserved retirement. Their Facebook page has some of the details.

It looks like the final sale is already ongoing, so you'd better get down there soon if you want to check it out.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

As best I can tell from their Facebook page, Fabuless Boutique probably closed sometime early in 2015, or at least the last post there is from December 2014.

I noticed the space for lease as I was driving by in late December 2015, so that makes this vacancy about a year in length, though the Murraywood Centre in general seems to be doing fairly well.

Here's The State story on the closing of Corner Kick, just down from the former Marinoni's in Murraywood Centre.

When I got by last Sunday, the place was still apparently still open (though closed for the day), but already referring customers to Todd & Moore with their door signs. My guess is that the poster is probably David Beckham or someone similar -- I wouldn't want to come up on that one unexpectedly.

I first knew this place as Al Amir.

After that closed, a bar called Stingers set up shop, and I totally missed the fact that it had closed until *its* follow-on operation, Marinoni's had also closed.

Actually it may not be strictly accurate to say that Stingers closed. According to this Free Times story, the same owner ran both restaurants, so it's more accurate to say that Stingers transitioned into Marinoni's. Unfortunately, I never got to either, and I have to say the pizza described in The Free Times sounds really good.

IrmoJeff had a bit more to say about Stingers here.

(Hat tips to commenters IrmoJeff & Jonathan)

Last year, a work friend of mine and her husband were driving from DC to Florida with a sidetrip to Clemson, and would be coming through Columbia on I-26. She suggested we meet for lunch, and wanting to give her a fairly straight shot off of and onto the Interstate, I suggested Al Amir on Saint Andrews road with Harbison as the connector.

"You can't miss it," I told them, "the restaurant is kind of below street level, but just go to the strip mall with the coffee kiosk in the front of the parking lot!"

The punchline is, of course, that when I got out there to meet them, I saw the kisok was gone, and they confirmed when they finally got there that they had had a Dickens of a time with my directions, and that point in particular...

Now, the kiosk, or another similar one under the name of Loveland Coffee, is coming back.

I may well buy a cup there -- but I don't think I'll include it in my directions!