Burlington Coat Factory to close Columbia store

Burlington Coat Factory in Columbia Place mall will close Feb. 16, store employees confirmed Friday.

Efforts to reach a company spokeswoman were unsuccessful. But signs in the store also said the store was closing and that all sales were final.

Burlington Coat Factory announced in July it would build a 45,000-square-foot location just up Two Notch Road at Sandhill Station, an outparcel in the Village at Sandhill shopping center.

The closure is another development in the evolution of the mall. Richland County officials have recently said they are interested in purchasing at least portions of the mall and relocating some services there as part of its “Richland Renaissance” program.

The plan calls for the county’s judicial center functions to be relocated to a new building at the site of the county administration building on Hampton Street, and some administrative services moved to the mall.

Store owners at the mall on Friday said they had heard informally that the county plans to buy the empty anchor stores buildings — those with their own entrances. Dillard’s and Sears anchors have already closed.

Macy’s remains open but a county council member has said it is expected to close.

Pam Mirchandani, owner of Pro Image Sports in Columbia Place, said that would be a good move, bringing more traffic to the area.

“It’s always better to have more people than no people,” she said.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Burlington Coat Factory to close Columbia store."