Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

For some reason, I thought I had already done a closing for Justice, but I don't see it, and none of the facts I just googled seem familiar, so I guess not!

Anyway, Justice was a tween girl brand with a bit of a complicated history. It was started by The Limited as Limited Too, and was then bought by Dress Barn. Ascena Retail Group, the follow-on name for Dress Barn after a reorg, went bankrupt in 2020, and this affected Catherines stores, some Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor Factory and Justice stores.

The Justice brand was then bought by Bluestar Alliance LLC but the final stores closed on 17 December 2020. The brand now seems to be owned by Justice Brand Holdings LLC, but the web site simply says to "Stay tuned" for future developments..

When commenter Sidney tipped that this store was closing on the 19th, I thought I would have the whole day to get out there and get some inside pictures. In the event, I think they closed for good at 5, and I got there around 6. I have to say that just from what I can see through the doors, it does not look as picked-over as I expected.

This store was part of the initial troubles faced by Sandhill, as the chain went bankrupt during the great recession, along with another Sandhill anchor (Sofa Express iirc) leaving the shopping center hurting for rent income. Bi-Lo eventually came out of bankruptcy, though it certainly has not had smooth sailing since then. I have forgotten all the details about who bought whom for all the Bi-Lo locations , but the plan is for this one to become a Lowes Foods.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 14 October 2020 -- That was fast! This place is now open as a Lowes:

Apparently we have another COVID-19 casualty here. New York & Company announced on 28 July 2020 that:

store closing sales have begun at all New York & Company retail locations across the United States. The firms are conducting liquidation sales across approximately 380 store locations in connection with the recent bankruptcy filing of New York & Company's parent company, RTW Retailwinds, Inc. ("RTW").

New York & Company is a specialty women's fashion retailer which offers modern, multi-functional wear-to-work apparel at affordable prices. As part of the sale, customers can expect initial discounts of up to 60% off original prices for all in-store merchandise including women's clothing, accessories and shoes.

USA Today provides a bit more detail:

"The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business, and we expect it to continue to do so in the future," Sheamus Toal, RTW Retailwinds CEO and chief financial officer, said in the release.

So, things weren't great before the plague, but that was the tipping point.

Frankly, I was not aware this store, or the chain, existed, so I can say very little else about it. It is definitely another hit on Sandhill, which really does not need any more problems.

I don't think Victoria's Secret is officially bankrupt, but apparently a planned buyout fell through leaving the chain in desperate straits. Of course the COVID-19 crisis didn't help any either, and they are now in the process of closing 250 some stores.

This Sandhill location apparently closed in June as reported by commenter Bethany, but when I drove by then, the signage was still up, and the merchandise was still inside -- the "Lock the doors" order must have come down very quickly. When I got back in early July, the storefront was cleaned-out and blank.

I see from the label-scar that they were neighbors with a maternity store called Motherhood which pre-deceased VS and for which I never did a closing.

(Hat tip to commenter Bethany)

I first wrote about this place back in 2007 in one of the earliest posts on this site. At the time, I was noting that it had ceased to be an Atlanta Bread Company. At some point after that, Panera moved in.

I ate there a number of times over the years, and considered it fairly well managed, especially compared to some of the other local locations, but looking at Yelp suggests it had begun to slip some lately.

The last reviews seem to be from the early April timeframe, which would put it during the current crisis. The door sign does not give that as a cause, just noting that they have "relocated" to Killian Road. Perhaps that was the plan all along. Certainly Sandhill is not a hot location now, especially in comparison to that area. In point of fact, I have eaten at the Killian location, and while it is more "modern", if that is the future direction for Panera, I really did not care for it.

(Hat tip to commenter Mr. Hat)

UPDATE 17 June 2021 -- Setting up to be Esther's Soul Food Kitchen:

UPDATE 5 June 2023: Add suite number to post title

I was looking for some spicy peanuts for an upcoming gathering, and decided to stop by The Peanut Man at Sandhill. In the event, I found it gone.

A little digging established that they have closed their Sandhill and downtown stores, and have consolidated into a new space on Fernandina Road, in the old Prestige Appliance location. In fact, I had seen the banner for Chocolate Factory & Coffee Shoppe from the Interstate, but I did not realize it was The Peanut Man. The new spot is a restaurant as well as a sweet & nut shop, serving a breakfast & lunch menu:

Here is a State article on starting the new location, and here is one about closing the downtown location to focus on this spot.

Google calls Cost Plus World Market a "furniture store". I had never thought of it that way. The only time I went inside this (or any World Market), I was attracted by the food aisles, and didn't really notice any furnishing. Indeed, I think the only thing I've ever had from the chain was a gift of some exotic chocolate bars one birthday.

Commenter Rashaad Egister pre-called this closing back in September of 2019. Apparently World Market was bought by Bed, Bath & Beyond back in 2012, and is caught up in a round of closings for that chain.

(Hat tip to commenter Rashaad Egister)

UPDATE 29 January 2020: Added the first two daytime pictures from 6 October 2019 at top.

UPDATE 14 October 2020 -- This space is not setting up to be an American Eagle:

The last time I was at Sandhill, this frame shop in the Bi-Lo wing, was planning to work through the holidays and close at the end of the year. With H. Rubin and Rita's, there are now a number of vacancies on this side.

This H. Rubin Vision Center at Sandhill appears to be closed and For Lease, though as with the Bush River Road location, there is no notice on the door, and there is still stock inside. I believe this means that all the Columbia stores are closed, and the main website is down.

I don't really get over to this side of Sandhill very often, and I didn't actually remember that there was a Kitty's here. My favorite's were always Hallmark Lite: 1/3 Less Serious Than Regular Cards, and I was disappointed when they discontinued them years ago. I still do like the Shoebox label, albeit not quite as much.

This closure leaves Kitty's without a store in Columbia, though they are still in the Midlands with Irmo & Lexington locations.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 24 August 2022: Updating tags.