COLUMBIA, S.C. — After 43 years, Yesterday's restaurant, a Columbia staple, closed its doors for good in 2020. Now, work is being done to prepare the iconic Five Points building for a new tenant.
According to the leasing agents, no tenant has signed a lease yet. However, owners of the building are preparing the inside for a new tenant, with contractors removing the top layer of concreate flooring on Monday.
As work continues to prepare the space, surrounding business owners say they're excited for the possible increase in foot traffic the new business could bring.
One of those business owners is Ashley Linder, owner of 'A Little Happy' on Saluda Avenue. “I am a new business, I opened up in November," she said
Linder says the more places to eat in Five Points, the better. “I heard that a restaurant was coming.”
“The more retail shops we can get, I think more people of the area would be thrilled, it just helps them spend the day in Five Points,” Linder said.
Built in 1935, the building was originally a one-story drug store that was added onto over time.
Yesterday’s Restaurant and Tavern operated in Five Points from the 1970s until 2020.
Five Points resident Dale Smoak remembers Yesterday's as his old hang out spot.
“I was a college student here at the time," Smoak said. “It was really the place you could take anybody. You could take your friends, you could take your parents.”
Directly opposite the building is Vestique Boutique Columbia. Assistant manager Aubrey Wagner says she hopes the new business will attract shoppers.
“We love the increased foot traffic that it could possible give us," Wagner said. “We love when new businesses come to Five Points, especially with other business shutting down.”
According to the leasing agent, the Moosehead Saloon behind Yesterday's is also up for lease.