A beloved Columbia grocery store is closing after half a century. Here’s what we know
A beloved locally owned and operated outpost of an iconic Southern grocery store chain is set to close.
The Piggly Wiggly at 3818 Devine St., near Columbia’s Shandon neighborhood, is ending its run after serving the area for about half a century. Known by locals as the “Social Pig’, a reference to how often neighbors run into each other at the store, it celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015.
“Our lease has expired, and being unable to effectuate another that would continue the store as Piggly Wiggly, it is my sad duty to announce that our iconic Pig on Devine — the ‘Social Pig’ — is closing,” Darrell Miller, who has co-owned the business since 2024, posted Sunday on Facebook.
“I submit our sincere thanks to the residents of the surrounding communities and the Greater Columbia area for your steadfast and generous support over the past fifty years. You have blessed us.”
Miller’s post received more than 100 reactions and 50 shares within two hours, as many commenters expressed their disappointment. Neighbors displayed similar loyalty in pushing back against an effort to replace the Piggly Wiggly with a Lidl in 2020.
In his post, Miller also thanked “the hundreds of associates that graced this business with their presence, and provided the great goods and services that our guests expected and deserved.”
Miller added that the closure ends his near six-decade career in the grocery store business, 50 of those being with the Piggly Wiggly franchise.
He said a post providing more info about the timeline for the store’s closure is coming.
The departure on Devine Street will leave Columbia with one remaining Piggly Wiggly location at 6325 N Main St. Other nearby Piggly Wiggly locations remain, including stores in Camden, Sumter, Orangeburg, St. Mathews and Wagener.
This story was originally published March 2, 2025 at 5:03 PM.
.jpg)