A new grocery store is coming to Columbia’s former Devine St. Piggly Wiggly site
A growing specialty grocery store chain is set to anchor a new development at the site of a former Columbia Piggly Wiggly that was affectionately known as the “Social Pig.”
Sprouts Farmers Market, which specializes in fresh, natural and organic foods and has locations across the U.S., will be the lead tenant of the Devine Crossing development at 3818 Devine St., according to Columbia’s Cason Development. That site was formerly home to Piggly Wiggly for decades before it closed in early 2025.
Cason Development, which has done a host of mixed-use and commercial projects in the Midlands though the years, bought the property at 3818 Devine St. last summer and launched plans to redevelop the site, which sits at the corner of Devine Street and Kilbourne Road.
This will be the first Sprouts Farmers Market in the Columbia area.
“Sprouts is a tenant that we identified more than a year ago that we knew was interested in coming to the (Columbia) market,” Cason Development President Frank Cason told The State. “They took their time to find the right spot, and we are super excited that they chose this as their first (Midlands) location. This is a unique location that kind of blends the denser commercial area where Cross Hill is with the boutique feel of Devine Street, right in the heart of a few of the best neighborhoods in town.”
The Devine Street site is along a major thoroughfare in Columbia, near neighborhoods such as Shandon and Heathwood, and not far from growing Forest Acres. About 27,000 cars per day travel down that corridor, per state Department of Transportation data.
The Sprouts store is expected to open in 2027, Cason said. It would be the third Sprouts Farmers Market location in South Carolina, following stores in Simpsonville and Greenville. There are nearly 500 Sprouts stores across the U.S., per data website ScrapeHero.
Cason noted there likely are local residents who have visited Sprouts at one of their Upstate locations, or elsewhere in the U.S. Still, he acknowledges that, for some, the coming grocer on Devine will be a new experience.
“We feel very confident that our market is really going to like who they are and what they do,” Cason said. “We’ve had an incredible experience working with their team over the last 12 months. ... We really think it’s going to be a hit in Columbia.”
Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprouts Farmers Market employs more than 36,000 people nationwide, per its investor website. The chain “offers a unique grocery experience featuring an open layout with fresh produce at the heart of the store,” per the website.
Aside from Sprouts, the Devine Crossing development will include an additional 15,000 square feet of retail or multi-use space, per a release from Cason Development. Commercial real estate firm TSCG will be handling the leasing for the additional retail space.
“We are proud to be a part of the transformation of this neighborhood staple in Columbia,” TSCG Vice President Jack Brennan said in the release. “This will be a great legacy for the community, and one we believe in.”
While additional businesses for the site have not yet been announced, Cason told The State he’s hopeful to see a new restaurant there, as well as potential retailers.
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 8:00 AM.
