1647-1649 Main Street
In September 1928, Ruff Hardware Company moved to this address from its 1714-1716 Main Street location where it had operated from 1909 until 1928. Ruff Hardware Company would occupy the building for 50 years. At its pinnacle in the mid-1950s, the company maintained stores on Main Street, Five Points, and Parkland Shopping Center in Cayce, as well as a warehouse in Seaboard Park. In 1978, the company liquidated its stock and went out of business.
The Forum Restaurant operated at this location from 1980 to 1982. Beginning in 1983, Hennessey’s Restaurant served the public from this location for 28 years, closing in November of 2011. Following a rehabilitation in 2018, the building is now home to Hendrix restaurant, which draws its name from a grocery store that operated at this location from 1906 until 1926.
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By 1978, the west side of Main Street's 1600 block featured a variety of architectural styles that reflected attempts to stay current with newer commercial buildings in the suburbs. Image courtesy Russell Maxey collection, Richland Library
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Ruff Hardware's modern looking building, as it appeared in 1945 in Columbia Magazine. The company would later replace the the large, second-story plate glass windows with glass block, which was removed during the 2017 rehabilitation. Historic Columbia collection
