WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — Right across the Gervais Street bridge, as you come into West Columbia, a business sits at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Meeting Street.
The restaurant, with a prime location overlooking the river and the city of Columbia and a mainstay in the community, is set to close its doors for good, Al's Upstairs.
The owner says it's time to retire.
"I've got some crazy texts, like good for you, bad for us and so forth. I've got a lot of hugs and almost got slapped," Al Loftis, owner of Al's Upstairs, said.
Loftis announced this week in a Facebook post that he's retiring after 44 years of owning his Italian restaurant.
The picturesque restaurant offers a unique fine dining experience with reservations, a dress code, select seating for 70 customers, and a small menu.
"The linens, the roses, the crystal," Loftis said.
"People associate that name of his place to our city," Pete Manos, owner of Zesto West Columbia, said.
Manos knows what it's like to have an established restaurant legacy. He adds that it'll be dearly missed, certainly changing the restaurant landscape in West Columbia.
Customers like Zoe Johnson made it a point to dine at this restaurant on special occasions. She said she heard news of the closure this week.
"It was disheartening but it was also bittersweet," Johnson said. "I just don't feel like any other restaurant in Columbia has that uniqueness."
But Loftis said he was ready for a change.
"It's just getting to the point where I thought I might've gone a couple years ago been out and I hadn't and just things I want to do and unfortunately don't have anybody really to turn it over to, so I've sold the property," Loftis said.
Loftis explains he has two sons, but one is preoccupied with medical school, and the other is in graduate school.
Loftis said he sold the Al's Upstairs property to a local developer and hopes that it can remain a restaurant of some kind. He adds that there were no parameters or restrictions to what can be built in its place.
In a statement from the president of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Tim James said, "Al's Upstairs will be missed, but the fabulous memories of the times shared there are ingrained forever."
The restaurant explains they're taking reservations until December 19, 2023, on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can call (803) 794-7404 if you'd like to reach them before they close.