Bi-Lo to promote green grocery bags

Supermarket chain to offer 5 cents back to custers who use reusable bags

Bi-Lo Inc. is the latest retailer to go green.

Although reusable market bags have been around for years, this is new for the Mauldin-based grocer.

Publix, Whole Foods, Fresh Market and other grocers and environmentally-conscious shoppers have long pushed and used cloth, reusable bags over the traditional paper and plastic — which some scientists say take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills.

Bi-Lo is piloting its green bag effort in about 80 of its more than 220 stores here and in Georgia and Tennessee, spokeswoman Joyce Smart said.

The Super Bi-Lo at the Village at Sandhill in Northeast Richland is participating in the pilot.

Bi-Lo sells two versions of the green bags: a woven recycled plastic for 99 cents and a canvas one, priced at $2.99.

Store management at the Columbia Super Bi-Lo said each time shoppers use any reusable bag, they receive a 5-cent per bag credit when they check out each shopping trip. It doesn’t seem like much at first — but after 20 uses, a woven plastic bag pays for itself.

• Atlanta Bread closes

Has the Northeast Richland Atlanta Bread Co. eatery closed?

Yes, says company spokeswoman Jennifer Madison.

Madison said the Village at Sandhill cafe was franchised. She would not disclose the name of the franchisee nor further discuss the store’s situation.

Center developer, Kahn Development Co., would only say that its staff has had daily talks with Atlanta Bread’s corporate office about the future of Northeast Richland location.

Atlanta Bread Co. has cafes on Main Street in Columbia and on Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia. Earlier this spring, another opened a new Irmo cafe on Lake Murray Boulevard.

None of the other Atlanta Bread locations in the Columbia area are owned by the same franchisee who held the one at Sandhill, based on information from staff at other stores.

• New dance studio

Lexington gals and guys will dance to a new tune starting Tuesday.

Dance instructors Regina Willoughby and Kristi McLendon will open The Academy — Center for Dance Education at 1909-B Augusta Highway in Lexington.

Willoughby and McLendon, both veteran dancers, will teach students to pirouette, tap and more. They have performed with the Columbia City Ballet and the Southern Strutt Jazz Co.

• Chatter

• Mum has been the wordon when the new Burlington Coat Factory at Columbia Place mall will open. A quick peek this week found that the store’s renovation of the bottom level of the former JC Penney space has not been completed. A sign on the door said it would open in September.

• The new Harbison Boulevard Kohl’s store looks to be almost complete. Spanning 88,000 square feet, the Irmo Kohl’s is slated to open in October, a spokeswoman said.

• Well this is known: The new in-town Lexington Best Buy is opening Sept. 14 at the new Pavilion shopping center on Sunset Boulevard, according to developer Edens & Avant.

Each week, Delawese Fulton, retail reporter for The State, will provide the latest retail development news. The goal is to give you the skinny on the new stores in your neighborhood, as well as any businesses closing. If you have any retail news, contact Fulton at (803) 771-8659 or ddfulton@thestate.com.