New home for No Name? Columbia deli explores moving as plans for nearby apartments expand
No Name Deli, whose original Columbia location has been delighting customers in the Elmwood Avenue area for more than four decades, is exploring options for a new location for the downtown shop as a major apartment development is planned in the Elmwood, Bull Street and Marion Street area where the restaurant is located.
No Name co-owner Jon Sears told The State on Tuesday afternoon that the deli, addressed at 2042 Marion St., is considering a number of places that it might move, with its likely next location being a couple blocks away from the current spot. Sears said he could not yet disclose the exact spot where No Name might move, as negotiations are still ongoing.
New York’s Astral Development is planning a large mixed-use apartment development at the corner of Elmwood and Bull. It would include 288 residential units and 25,000 square feet of retail space. The project is seeking approval from the city of Columbia’s planning commission on Thursday.
When the apartment development was initially announced a couple years ago, it did not include No Name’s nearby home, where the business first opened as Elmwood Delicatessen more than 30 years ago. However, the latest plans include that property, per planning commission documents.
Richland County property records show that the No Name Deli property at 2042 Marion was sold to Astral Development in September 2024. Sears confirmed that sale date.
Sears noted that No Name initially had planned, a couple years back, to remain at 2042 Marion with the apartment project building around the deli. But he said, as the scale of the development came into focus, selling the property seemed most prudent.
“Long story short, we have a couple of locations very, very close by that we are looking at,” said Sears, who, along with business partner Chris Davis, purchased the No Name business in 2021. “No Name has been there [in the Elmwood area] for over 40 years and we are very, very appreciative of the downtown Elmwood community, and we want to be down there for another 40 years-plus.
“We haven’t sealed the deal on any of these [possible new] locations, so I can’t say where they are, but I can say they are very close by and the one we are hoping works out will have more parking and we can do the build out to make it more efficient.”
Sears noted that the location the deli owners want the most is “literally within two blocks” of the current Marion Street store.
Davis and Sears own a number of restaurants across Columbia, including the upscale Hendrix on Main Street and Jake’s bar in Five Points. They also opened a second No Name Deli location in Forest Acres in October 2024.
Sears said the original No Name will likely continue to operate at 2042 Marion St. at least through the end of the year. He said he hoped there would be “no gap” between the closure of that location and the opening of a new downtown spot.
While the No Name owners explore potential new downtown landing spots, Sears said he would not “close the door” on the idea that the deli could be a part of the retail component of the coming apartment development. However, he noted the timing and logistics of that could be a “heavy lift” as construction on the planned, massive development comes to fruition.
“At this point, we are not part of the development,” Sears said. “I’m not saying it’s impossible that we go back in there, but that’s not the leading option in the clubhouse.”
No Name Deli has long been known for its sandwich menu, including its famous chicken salad and pimento cheese, as well as burgers, hot dogs, fries, BLTs and more.
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM.
