Tacos, coffee and big box shops: Here are some of the places that opened in Columbia in 2022

Take a breath. It was a busy year on the retail scene in the Midlands.

While the national and global economy rode an unpredictable wave in 2022, with inflation and supply chain issues popping up throughout the year, the Columbia and Lexington areas still saw dozens of new business openings. From national franchises to local mom-and-pops, many stores and restaurants saw the Midlands as a fertile place to do business in the past year.

What follows is a digest of just some of the new businesses that opened locally in 2022. While it is certainly not a comprehensive, all-inclusive list, it does offer a glimpse at what popped up on the retail landscape in the last 12 months.

Over in Lexington, Friends House Chinese and Seafood opened in December. It’s at 100 Old Cherokee Road, in a Publix-anchored shopping center.

The smoke rises again. Roy’s Grille, which was long located in an Exxon gas station in Lexington, closed that location and reopened in a new spot. It’s now located at 7971 N. Woodrow St. in Irmo.

Down in Five Points, Cocobowlz has opened at 2015 Devine St. The shop serves a host of acai bowls with fresh ingredients, as well as a menu of smoothies.

Lexington got a new Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. The restaurant is at 111 Swartz Road, which is just east of downtown.

Forest Acres welcomed Crumbl Cookies at 4605 Forest Drive. That’s in the Cardinal Crossing development.

The Village at Sandhill added a new restaurant when Sub Station II opened a shop there. The sandwich slingers are located at 460-6 Town Center Place at the shopping center.

From four wheels to brick-and-mortar: Smoke It Up, which has long been a popular barbecue food truck, opened a takeout restaurant in 2022. It’s at 10071 Broad River Road in Irmo.

Fans of sports cards and memorabilia, as well as card-based games such as Pokemon, got a new hobby shop to visit. Palmetto Cards opened its doors at 404 W. Main St. in Lexington.

Cricket Newman Designs, which had long been open on Gervais Street, reopened in a new location. The new spot, which carries floral arrangements, accessories and more, is at 2005 N. Beltline Blvd. in Forest Acres.

A spot for chicken wings and hot dogs made its debut in Lexington. Wing Man is located at 711 W. Main St. in Lexington, in an Exxon gas station. Try the wings with the restaurant’s signature original sauce.

A second location of Duck Duck Goose, a children’s clothes and accessories shop, opened in 2022. It is located at 4525-C Forest Drive in the Forest Village shopping center.

The trendy Trenholm Plaza shopping center in Forest Acres got a couple of major new tenants. Sephora and HomeGoods each opened new stores there in 2022.

Two wheels are just more fun. Pedego Soda City, which sells and rents electric bicycles, has opened at 521 Meeting St. in West Columbia, not far from the Gervais Street Bridge.

Bargain hunters rejoice: The Bin Store, an overstock liquidation retailer, opened up in the shopping center at 2814 Augusta Road in West Columbia, not far from Interstate 26.

92Chicken, which sells Korean-style fried chicken, debuted in Columbia. It is at 2652 Decker Blvd., in what is known as Richland County’s International Corridor.

The Lake Carolina community in northeast Columbia got a new pizza parlor. Stoner’s Pizza Joint is now open at 5 Carolina Way.

A new spot for oil changes and more opened near Red Bank. Take 5 Oil Change is located at 1846 S. Lake Drive. It is one of several Take 5 spots in the Midlands.

You can never get enough mac and cheese, right? If that’s the way you feel, then you’re in luck: I Heart Mac and Cheese opened a new restaurant at 2712 Emanuel Church Road in West Columbia.

Longs Pond Road in Lexington, near Interstate 20, is home to a new Starbucks that opened in 2022. It’s near an Arby’s, a Love’s gas station and several other businesses.

Spotted Salamander Cafe and Catering opened a second location in late 2022. It is at 1441 Main St., in the former Drip on Main spot. The original Spotted Salamander on Richland Street also continues to operate.

Irmo got a little sweeter in 2022. Mingos Cookies opened a new shop at 7467 St. Andrews Road, in the Kroger shopping center. There also is a Mingos on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington.

A new bakery launched over in West Columbia. Breads and Such, which offers a host of baked goods and pastries, is located at 1220 C Avenue. (Try the cinnamon raisin biscuits.)

Mai Poke opened its doors at 911 State St. in Cayce at Parkland Plaza. Poke — pronounced “po-kay” — bowl restaurants have gained popularity in recent years. The Hawaiian dish often features fresh fish (tuna, salmon, etc.) over a base of rice or salad mix, with a number of toppings and sauces available.

Forest Acres got a new restaurant when Poogan’s Southern Kitchen opened at the Cardinal Crossing development. It is part of the Poogan’s Hospitality Group that has a number of restaurants in Charleston.

A busy section of Lexington got a new Japanese restaurant. Hokkaido Ramen House opened in August at 205 Columbia Ave. suite B, just off Highway 378.

A taste of New Orleans found a more permanent home in Columbia. The Bistreaux by Fleur de Licious, a Creole restaurant from the owners of the Fleur de Licious food truck, opened at 2700 Broad River Road suite B.

The Middleton family that has operated a host of restaurants in downtown Columbia in the Main Street corridor added another in 2022 with the opening of Hanabi Hibachi and Sushi at 1624 Main St.

Discount diggers take note: Where Ya Bin, an overstock retailer, opened its doors at 5422 Forest Drive in Columbia.

Plaza Garibaldi, a Mexican grocery store, opened in July at 2036 Augusta Road in West Columbia. It is located near the spot where Augusta Road and Jarvis Klapman Boulevard split, about a half mile east of the West Columbia Walmart.

Go ahead and count your chickens. Slim Chickens, a restaurant with locations across the nation, opened a Columbia spot in 2022. It is at 7544 Garners Ferry Road.

Rosewood Drive is now more caffeinated. Starbucks opened a long-awaited shop at 2807 Rosewood Drive in July as part of the Fifth and Sloan development.

The Flying Biscuit Cafe made its landing. The breakfast-all-day spot opened in August at 936 Harden St. in Five Points. The small chain has restaurants in several Southern states.

A bit of fun came to Main Street in 2022. Perfect Storm Bear Factory, a shop that sells customizable teddy bears, games, toys and more, opened at 1426 Main St. in the heart of downtown Columbia.

In a return to Columbia after closing a previous store a couple years ago, TakoSushi fusion restaurant opened at 1332 Main St. in the historic Arcade Mall.

Fired up: A new Firehouse Subs location hit the Midlands scene in 2022. It opened at 542 Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce.

Que! Bueno Mexican Bar and Grill opened in Irmo. It’s at 7320 Broad River Road, in the Kennerly Crossing shopping center.

Christian Brothers Automotive opened a new automotive repair business at 8079 Irmo Drive near Lake Murray. The chain has shops in 30 states nationwide.

Columbia’s Five Points district got a new workout spot in 2022. Orangetheory Fitness opened a studio at 940 Harden St. It is right next to the Flying Biscuit Cafe.

The drumbeat continued for discount store giant Dollar General. It has a host of stores in the Midlands and in 2022 opened another location at the northeast corner of Pisgah Church Road and Rawl Road in Lexington County.

A bakery and restaurant opened in Columbia’s Canalside development. Mery’s Kitchen is at 622 Canalside St., and specializes in cakes, breads and other baked goods.

Planning a party? If so, you can check out the Party City on Garners Ferry Road for your supplies. It opened in 2022 in the Shoppes at Woodhill shopping center.

Love-A-Cup Bakery opened its doors at 2213 Augusta Road in West Columbia in the Georgetown shopping center. The shop has cupcakes and sweet treats, breakfast sandwiches and more.

Publico, which has been a popular fusion restaurant and bar in Five Points for years, opened a new location at the BullStreet District. It is right beside Segra Park baseball stadium.

The Main Street District got a unique new offering when Sneak a Peek Boutique, an ultrasound boutique for expectant families, opened at 1113 Taylor St. in the heart of downtown.

The popular breakfast and brunch chain Another Broken Egg Cafe opened a new store at 931 North Lake Drive in Lexington. It’s right in front of the Regal Northlake Village move theater.

The global fusion restaurant Urban Wok opened at 1033 Roberts Branch Parkway in northeast Columbia, off Killian Road. It was the third restaurant in the U.S. for the nascent chain.

Chapin got a new breakfast and brunch spot. BaKon Southern Eatery opened its doors at 301 Columbia Ave. Give the BaKon Cakes a try.

After being located in Forest Acres for decades, The Turning Pointe dancewear shop opened at 1030 Harden St. in Five Points. It offers offers a wide variety of dancewear and accessories for all ages, with supplies for various styles of dance, including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, ballroom, clogging, hip-hop, praise, gymnastics and lyrical.

The New York Butcher Shoppe opened a new location at 400 West Main St. near downtown Lexington. It’s the second Midlands location of the butcher shop chain, and it offers many meats and prepared foods.

A new Big Lots store opened at 1937 Wilson Road over in Newberry. The company has described the Big Lots shopping experience as “part treasure hunt, part bargain hunt.”

Latin-inspired clothing and gift shop Botanica de Santee opened at 724 Santee Ave. in Five Points. It offers offers shoes, shirts, jackets, artwork, votive candles, music records and more.

Chubby’s Burgers, which has long been a popular food truck, opened a brick-and-mortar location at 420 McNulty St. in Blythewood. It’s known for its cheeseburgers and has more than two dozen beers on tap.

Krab Kingz Seafood restaurant opened at 1410 Colonial Life Blvd. in the Colonial Village Shopping Center. They have po’ boy sandwiches, charbroiled salmon burgers, deep-fried catfish and much more.

A dueling piano bar called The Venue is open at 1626 Main St. It is a part of the portfolio of the Middleton family who have opened numerous businesses in Columbia, particularly along the 1600 block of Main Street.

FuruSato Bento, which serves prepared Japanese meals and snacks, opened in Five Points. It’s located at 748 Harden St.

Restaurant Silk opened in June at at 902 Gervais St. in the former Carolina Strip Club steakhouse location. The restaurant and lounge aims an upscale atmosphere.

Ubiquitous chicken sandwich chain Chick-fil-A opened a new restaurant at 5465 Platt Springs Road in the Red Bank area.

A small grocery store called Midtown Market opened in the CanalSide development. The shop bills itself as “Southern bodega” and is located at 337 Taylor St.

Ice cream and tacos in the same shop? Yep, that’s what they’ve got at Ice Cream Taco at 4884 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington. The shop has dozens of flavors of ice cream and serves shakes, sundaes and banana splits.

Five Points got a new luxury streetwear store when Swiff opened its doors at 736 Harden St. Swiff had long been a popular brand online and at pop-up shopping events.

All hail the King: A Falafel King restaurant opened at 2020-A Gervais St. in upper Five Points, next to a Shell gas station. The Gervais Street shop has a diverse menu that includes, among other offerings, falafel wraps, gyros, chicken shawarma wraps, curry bowls, Damascus hummus and a number of pizzas.

Uncle Willie’s Grocery Store opened at 2205 Main St., just north of Elmwood Avenue. The small, full-service grocery store is in an area that has previously struggled to attract grocers and outlets for fresh food.

A spot with pizza and Italian ice made its debut in West Columbia. Cucinella’s is located in the shopping center at 2250 Sunset Blvd. It serves New York-style pizza and more.

Do you like burgers and beer? Of course you do. A spot where you can get both opened in Five Points. Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint is at 711 Harden St., in the storefront that was formerly home to Cover 3.

Columbia loves a clean car. Tommy’s Express Car Wash opened in early 2022 at 4700 Devine St., just west of Garners Ferry Road. The car wash sits on land that was once home to a TitleMax business that was flooded out in October 2015 during a deadly 1,000-year rain event that walloped Columbia.

The Vista got a new restaurant when Boku Kitchen and Saloon opened its doors at 916 Gervais St. The Pan-Asian restaurant and bar is from the same group that runs Publico Kitchen and Tap in Five Points and BullStreet.

After operating a spot on Woodrow Street in Columbia for years, Gardener’s Outpost opened an additional location at 1211 Franklin St. in Cottontown, beside the War Mouth restaurant. It sells indoor and outdoor plants, trees, organic and heirloom vegetables, as well as home decor items and various products for lawn and plant care.

The busy Harbison shopping district got a little busier in 2022 when Hobby Lobby opened a store at 254 Harbison Blvd. Hobby Lobby has more than 900 locations across 47 states.

Peebles Barbecue and Wings restaurant and bar opened at 902-B Gervais St. This is the second Columbia Peebles location; the other one is on Rosewood Drive.

A taste of Atlanta, and a taste of the sea, came to Lexington County. Tasty Wings & Seafood opened a restaurant at 1787 S. Lake Drive, near Red Bank. The restaurant has a deep menu that includes what it bills as “Atlanta-style” chicken wings. It has numerous flavors of wings, including lemon pepper, garlic pepper, hot Parmesan and teriyaki, among others.

Have you ever wanted to hang out in a Himalayan salt cave? Well, you can at the Shvaas Spa at 1716 Main St. in downtown Columbia. Among the many services the spa offers is halotherapy via a Himalayan salt cave.

The Strudel Shop opened in early 2022 at 1237 Washington St. in downtown Columbia. It offers a number of pastries and other goodies.

The Vista in Columbia got a little sweeter, as The Donut Guy opened at 1215 Lincoln St. The brick-and-mortar location is an extension of the doughnut business that had long been a popular food truck.

Irmo got a new El Jimador Mexican restaurant in 2022. It’s at 1072 Lake Murray Blvd.