Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Here's another place I wasn't really aware of. Judging from the name and the decor, they were going for a retro vibe, which can certainly work for a burger place. This storefront is in the Lexington Square enclave which is anchored by Lowes Food.

(Hat tip to commenter JamesR)

I hope everyone has been enjoying their Summer: I know I have!

As the season winds down, I hope to get back to more regular posting.

I was not really aware of this Biscuitville, and in fact have not been to the chain at all, despite having the taste for a sausage biscuit every now and then.

The State says this location opened in March of 2024, so it lasted a bit more than a year. The story didn't give any reason for the closing, but it is located rather close to a Bojangles where biscuits also feature heavily on the menu.

The back yard is rather nice with a good bit of greenspace and their own retention pond, which is more attractive than most with a good stand of reeds or cattails taking advantage of the opportunity.

(Hat tip to commenter Payne)

Margaret's was on the North side of Garners Ferry out past Mr. Bunky's, and I took these pictures in 2018. It appears from the Yelp reviews (which are pretty positive) that the place probably closed in 2020, and in the event I never got to try it out.

Tropical Grille followed Smashburger into this endcap when the burger chain closed here in 2019. I wasn't sure exactly what the theme of Tropical Grille was, but they characterize themselves with:

Savor the rich, authentic flavors of Cuban and Latin-inspired cuisine at Tropical Grille.

which sound pretty good (if a bit chicken-y for me).

Looking at their website, it's an upstate South Carolina chain with 9 other locations, this one having been the only one here in the Midlands after the Main Street location closed in 2012.
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I like the mascot!

(Hat tip to commenter Beth)

I had not noticed that this Truist branch was closed until recently. For various historical reasons (ie: Southern National) I have a Truist Visa, but have rarely if ever needed to go into a branch, and I have been going to the Killian Road Panera since the one next door to this lot started going downhill. I finally did notice it when I came out to take some Party City pictures.

Somewhat surprisingly to me, despite the fact that the next tenant is also a bank (Founders Credit Union) the building has been completely gutted, the landscaping has been torn up and the earth turned and trenches (for cables?) have been cut in the parking lot. It looks like quite a bit of work before Founders will be able to open.

I noticed this place was boarded-up as I drove past, so I turned around and took a closer look. As far as I can tell from the Google reviews, Entity Motors closed up in the time frame of "a year ago", having received mixed reviews.

The place is a solid looking older style house that would be attractive with a bit of TLC, so perhaps some sort of professional office will move in eventually. The LoopNet information is here.

As I believe we have discussed, Big Lots went Chapter 11 back in October, and will be closing down the whole chain, something now in progress.

This building, which featured here previously as a Bi-Lo is the anchor for this little plaza, which also has another upcoming vacancy. It's unclear exactly when they will close, but at this point I suspect they will not last another month, as they are already down to 40% off.

Commenter Mr. BO sends these pictures saying that he was a satisfied customer.

This would be right next to the former Steve's Subs, and in fact a number of storefronts in this plaza have featured here over the years.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr BO)

It's a little hard to say the exact name of this place. Google has it as Grand Appliances•New Sales•Scratch and Dent Sales while their Facebook says Grand Appliances & Mattress•New Sales•Scratch & Dent Sales.

At any rate, their last Facebook post is from May 2024, so I'm going to list the closing date as "Summer 2024". There was some activity in the buildiing when I drove by last Saturday, so perhaps something new is coming.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

United Auto Sales moved to this location in 2012 after their old location on Forest Drive was torn down to build Cook Out. Although Google is labeling this location as Temporarily Closed, I think it is more likely that United has shut down for good after a 12 year run here.

(Hat tip to commenter Payne)