A trio of chains announced moves in Lexington County in the last week:

• Small N.C. chain Clutch Coffee Bar is looking to add a Lexington location at 306 Columbia Ave., The Post and Courier reports.

“The company filed an application with the city of Lexington to remove two trees on the site, which currently has a small insurance office. The tree issue has been resolved with the city, according to Diana Wood, a Realtor involved in the deal,” Mike Fitts writes.

The location looks to be a drive-thru-only coffee stand.

• I Heart Mac & Cheese is set to open its West Columbia location on Sept. 21.

“The West Columbia, SC I Heart Mac and Cheese location will be operated by Robin Patel. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on the grand opening day at 10:30 a.m and will kick off the celebration,” a news release states. “Following the ceremony, the first 10 people in line will receive free mac & cheese creations for a full year. Throughout the day, guests will enjoy giveaways. Raffles will also be occurring during the week where guests can win free I Heart Mac and Cheese.”

As its name implies, the South Florida-based chain specializes in mac and cheese, but also offers sandwiches and “a variety of health-conscious bases including quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, gluten-free pasta, plant-based protein, and dairy-free alternatives,” according to the release.

• Firehouse Subs is set to open a location in Cayce on Sept. 12 “under the ownership of franchisees and uncle-nephew duo, Larry Chandler and Jody Chandler,” according to a company spokesperson.

“Larry joined the Firehouse Subs family in 2004, followed quickly by his nephew, Jody, in 2006. With multiple decades of restaurant experience between them, Larry and Jody’s commitment to their restaurants has become a blueprint for other franchisees across the Firehouse Subs system,” the spokesperson writes in a media advisory.

The location is hiring 20-25 employees for the location.

Lexington Grocery Store to Close

A grocery store along one of Lexington County’s main thoroughfares is set to close.

The KJ’s Market on U.S. Highway 1 in Lexington (not the one further down U.S. 1 in West Columbia) will close Sept. 17, The Post and Courier reports, with a liquidation sale already ongoing.

“The West Columbia store was acquired from Bi-Lo in 2020 as Bi-Lo’s parent company closed all its stores in South Carolina,” Mike Fitts writes. “The third KJ’s Market in the Columbia area is located on St. Andrews Road.”

Parent company “Alex Lee operates 33 KJ’s Market locations in South Carolina and Georgia, according to the company website. The store location previously had been a Piggly Wiggly and then a Bi-Lo, but Bi-Lo closed its store in the shopping center in 2013.”

The West Columbia KJ’s, located 3.5 miles away near a Walmart Supercenter, is set to stay open, but the closure of the Lexington KJ’s Market leaves a supermarket void in the Oak Grove area, with the closest grocery stores being the Food Lion and Walmart Neighborhood Market at the corner of Emanuel Church Road and Old Barnwell Road about three miles away.

[Online copy corrected.]

Lexington County, SC Gas Prices Trending Down

Gas prices are trending down again in Lexington County, which now sits among the lower half of S.C. counties when it comes to the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded.

The county’s average as of Sept. 6 was $3.339 (down from $3.43 a week earlier). 

The state average was $3.394 (down from $3.455). The national average was $3.779 (down from $3.844.