Deserted malls, shuttered bars, busy parks: Columbia’s new coronavirus normal

If you want to see ground zero of our daily lives in the coronavirus pandemic, go to Harbison.

Aside from Walmart, Sam’s Club and a few restaurants trying to eke by on take-out, the once-bustling shopping, restaurant and entertainment center of the Midlands is a empty shell of its former self.

And there is no more shocking example than Columbiana Centre mall.

On Thursday, it was eerily empty, its hours cut back from noon to 7 p.m. The clip of footsteps echoed below piped-in popular tunes playing to practically no one.

At least 80 percent of the stores were shuttered. Eight-by-ten print-outs on doors and shop windows said the closures were for the “safety of employees and customers.”

In the food court, a sea of chairs were stacked on tables being scrubbed down by two gloved mall workers. The few eateries open were serving take-out only — and you had to eat outside.

Patty Schmidt of St. Andrews and her sister Terri Lightman, visiting from Cody, Wyoming, were walking the concourse, one of only a handful of people in sight.

“I’ve been doing needlepoint; Terri reads,” Schmidt said. “We just needed to get out of the house.”

She said about 30 people, senior citizens mostly, usually are walking the mall at this time, “but now they’re all gone.”

Welcome to the new coronavirus normal in Columbia.

Eighty-one cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Palmetto State. And that number is expected to rise.

Schools are ordered closed, as well as restaurant dining rooms. Bars are dark.

‘He needed some sunshine’

But a few miles from the mall, the scene changes.

At the Lake Murray dam there are signs of life going on.

A parking lot on the Irmo side has a good amount of cars. A couple of anglers are fishing off the boardwalk. A woman with a stroller is relaxing at a picnic table, staring out at the glistening water on a beautiful second day of Spring.

A small but steady flow of people are walking and jogging on the crest of the dam, some with a friend, others alone.

Mary Brock was embarking on a dam walk for the first time. A home care nurse, she has a 7-year-old patient in tow.

“This is very important,” she said. “He needed to get out.”

In Lexington, grocery stores were doing a steady business. The crowds were lighter than earlier in the week, when people were spooked into overstocking for the unknown.

“It has been a normal day,” said Tami O’Brien, manager of the locally owned 14 Carrot Whole Foods store on Sunset Boulevard.

The store has been opening it doors earlier and only allowing seniors to shop from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Only two of her 25 employees chose to stay home. And one had her shift adjusted to less busy times.

“Just to be safe,” O’Brien said.

Down the street at Aldi, business also was calm but steady. However, the store was limiting sales of some staples, only two loaves of bread for example.

A sign out front advertised: “Now hiring temporary positions. Available immediately.”

In-store pharmacies were also busy, as clients asked their doctors for extended prescriptions.

‘They are sending flower’

At the S.C. State House, the scene was similar to Lake Murray dam.

Around midday, a couple dozen people were running the stairs, doing step aerobics on the benches, yoga on the lawn and walking and jogging around the building as lawmakers debated a coronavirus aid package inside.

But down Gervais Street in the Vista the bleakness returned.

The normally packed street has only a slow stream of cars. And, remarkably, nearly every on-street parking space was empty.

A block west on Main Street, however, the parking spaces were filled, presumably by those working in or visiting the office towers on either side.

There was a smattering of pedestrians on the street, what appeared to be college students living in a high rise private dorm on the street, apparently out for a stroll in the sunshine.

Like Harbison, nearly all the shops were closed. A few restaurants were hoping for some curbside orders. But their employees seemed to have little to do.

One shop was still in bloom, however.

Something Special Florist had placed bouquets and sun dresses on the sidewalk. And inside owner Grant Lorick was smiling.

“There hasn’t been a single person in here,” he said, “but the phone is ringing.”

Although “events are gone,” he explained, “people aren’t able to visit friends and relatives for birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, so they are sending flowers.”

‘I’m scared’

In Five Points, Duncan McRae, co-owner of landmark restaurant Yesterdays, was leaning out of the takeout window. Every few minutes a customer walked up and plucked a brown bag from the ledge.

One was Brainard Cooper, who lives in Shandon and works for the University of South Carolina athletics department. He had pre-ordered a taco salad and sweet tea.

“My neighbors and I talked about it last night,” he said. “It’s a good idea to support local business.”

But, McRae admitted, business is down to about 35 percent of normal.

“And if this goes on for 14 more days, the chains are going to be the only ones left,” he said.

Catty-cornered from Yesterdays, the Charleston-based Home Team BBQ was closed. And it was reported Thursday afternoon that the five-restaurant chain was laying off 400 workers.

But around the corner at Nicky’s Pizzeria, there were still some calzones, hoagies and slices being picked up.

Business is very slow, owner Steve Cassano said. But with only six employees and fare suited to takeout and delivery, he said he was in a better position than most restaurants to weather the storm.

“I’ve cut some hours, but spread it to everybody, so nobody’s been laid off,” he said.

Next door at Pure Barre exercise studio, however, Addie Fairey was pensive. Her hands were clasped. Her lips pinched.

Fairey closed her business Tuesday. She still hasn’t made a decision what to do about her staff — one full time employee and 15 part timers.

They used to run seven classes a day, seven days a week, each day of the year except St. Pat’s, Fourth of July and Christmas. Now, she is streaming only three a day online.

“Its the in-house experience that brings people,” she said. “Now I don’t know what I’m gong to do. I’m scared.”

This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.