Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Here's another consequence of the Bi-Lo/Food Lion deal: The Food Lion on Platt Springs road has vacated its original location and has moved into the old Bi-Lo site on Emanuel Church Road. As of yet, there is nothing in the building.

UPDATE 10 May 2021 -- Here is the relocated store in its new location at 2916 Emanuel Church Road:

As mentioned by commenter Zach, Paul's Barber Shop in the strip at the corner of Lexington Drive & Platt Springs Road has moved. The new locaiton is 2361 Augusta Hwy Suite E, Lexington, SC 29072.

I mostly know Airport Tec Plaza as the final resting place for Taco Cid.

(Hat tip to commenter Zach)

Well, this seems to be the end of local fast Mexican stalwart, Taco Cid. This is a chain that once had a presence as far abroad as both Greenvilles, though it was recently down to one, non-custom-built, storefront location near the airport (having moved from the Charleston Highway in the summer of 2014).

I used to frequent the Decker location from time to time as part of a pre-roadtrip ritual, and thought it was pretty decent. In recent years, the chain has gotten some negative publicity over an edgy ad campaign, and some people have said here that they also lost their longtime sauce recipe to a change in food service vendors.

At any rate, while a sign inside the closed Platt Spring Road location offers some hope for the future, it appears that at this time, the Taco Cid website is down and the Taco Cid Facebook page has been closed.

For now, you can see the final cached version of that facebook page, announcing the closing, here.

(Hat tip to commenter Kc)

I have been holding off doing a closing on the Family Dollar on Platt Springs Road because I wanted to get back out there and get some inside pictures before it closed, but for one reason or another, I never did, and it looks iffy at this point, if they are in fact still open.

This closing was announced before the recent big list of Family Dollar store shutterings. I was kind of surprised at that announcement because before that, they had seemed to be a chain on the move, and recently opened a new store on Two Notch. But the same thing happened to Fred's recently -- apparently the smaller discount store market is pretty cut-throat.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

To the best of my knowledge, I had never been to this part of town in the fifty plus years that I've had the opportunity. It's always interesting to see someplace new. However, this plaza, Platt Springs Center, at the corner of Platt Springs & Emmanuel Church Roads does not seem to be doing especially well.

As reported by commenter Andrew way back when, this Fred's closed in June of 2013, so that makes a full year without anything taking its place. here is a marketing PDF with a good picture of the place with Fred's in operation.

Just looking at the building, I feel sure this was a grocery store before it was a Fred's, but I'm not sure what its flagging would have been or when it closed.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

Platt Springs road has an improbable number of jewelry stores, but now there is one less, and Lonely Street is in fact a bit more lonely..

According to their ad, Jewelry Warehouse had been there since 1977. Now they have closed their flagship store, and are in the process (which seems a bit protracted) of moving to Parkland Plaza and into the old Parkland Pharmacy location.

This little stripmall storefront on Platt Springs Road has apparently been a number of restaurants over the years.

I'm guessing Jilanos was the last as I can't find TK's Pizza in the phonebook, and when I enhance that blank sign and turn it around, I get the Jilanos marquee:

While I was in Springdale last weekend getting some Jewelry Warehouse pictures, I noticed this building set well back from the road. For some reason, perhaps the parking sign for the adjacent business, I expected I would find that it was some sort of lawn & garden store, but a little googling reveals it as the site of several light industrial operations, both in construction and fishing. (Google also claims 3142 is the Springdale Shopping Center, but I think that must be the strip mall on the next lot).

Note the stone facade on the porch of the building. You don't see too much of that anymore.

Well, it's back to Airport Tec Plaza for this closing.

Blimpie is not a chain I've ever tried, though I like subs. I think that's probably because a lot of its locations tend to be in gas-station/convenience stores, and that sort of devalues a brand for me. I do have to give them props for suggesting a non-submarine referent for their sandwiches however.

At any rate, this location anchored the east end of the same little strip mall where Marino's Bistro was

I was unaware of Marino's Bistro, or indeed of this whole little strip mall near the Airport on Platt Springs Road, until recently.

I like the sign for the plaza, which has a sort of retro look without trying too hard. I don't know anything about Marino's itself, other than that it sounds Italian, which is always an indicator that I will have a better than average chance of liking a place. I'm putting the closing date as February, as the new phone books (which you can see outside the door -- one of the common sights of a closing) came out then.

(Hat tip to commenter fourlizards.)