1610 Sam Rittenberg Blvd Ste. 103, Store #966 (also known as South Charleston or simply Charleston) was a ShowBiz Pizza Place that opened on September 20th, 1982, and closed on June 18th, 2020 with a 3-Stage. It was the first ShowBiz location to open in South Carolina as well as the first to open in the Carolinas overall.
History
South Charleston opened on September 20th, 1982, as the first ShowBiz in South Carolina (and in the Carolinas overall). The store was originally franchised, being owned and operated by the McBiz Corporation (along with 29 other locations). Like other ShowBiz locations, the store opened with a
Rock-afire Explosion, its placement being adjacent to the store's right side wall. In the late 80's, South Charleston underwent the 1986 SPT Remodel Program, phasing out original ShowBiz Pizza Place decor and signage for that of generalized Showbiz Pizza Time assets.
Sometime in 1991, the location received
Concept Unification, retrofitting the Rock-afire into Munch's Make Believe Band, meanwhile keeping the ShowBiz Pizza name until later that same year. On September 16, 1996, South Charleston's operating license was acquired by SPT Corporate along with sister locations
Columbia &
Greenville. Around this time, the store would undergo the 1990s Major Remodel.
Beginning in the year 2000, South Charleston installed plastic masks on their 3-Stage figures, a common practice seen throughout most locations at the time. Curtains were decommissioned from use in 2005, but were kept as display pieces until the location's closure in 2020. Chuck E.'s tuxedo would be replaced with his 'Avenger' clothing sometime in 2008. At the same time, the store received the 2003 'Cool Chuck' Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative. Existing CD Award posters and Wall Sconce Planters would not be trashed, rather being relocated to the location's former Sportsroom Dining section. Aside from rotating game packages, South Charleston would remain in this state throughout the late 2000's into the 2010's decade.
As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, South Charleston was one of 34 CEC locations to permanently close, with its closing date being June 18th of that year. Some of the stage's figures were sent to the nearby Columbia store, while others were obtained by private collectors. Following Columbia's 2017 2.0 Remodel Program|2017 2.0. Remodel Program initiative in November 2022, three of South Charleston's original figures were trashed and promptly destroyed.
As of 2023, the tenant space where the South Charleston store previously was is still vacant. The building's exterior has been vandalized as of currently, with a label scar from the previous Chuck E. Cheese's signage remaining intact.
Crimes
In July 2007, a homeless man was arrested, due to other people feeling unsafe by his presence in the strip mall where this store was located. On November 24, 2018, a man was shot and killed in the parking lot.
Stages
South Charleston would premiere with a Classic Rock-afire Explosion, as other ShowBiz locations did at the time. The show would remain largely unchanged until 1991, when the location's show would undergo
Concept Unification. The Munch's Make Believe Band 3-Stage would then remain in use at the store (with minor changes and updates) up until South Charleston's permanent closure on June 18, 2020.
| Stage |
Installed |
Removed |
Notes |
| Rock-afire Explosion |
September 1982 |
1991 |
First ShowBiz Pizza store in South Carolina (And Carolinas overall). |
| 3-Stage |
1991 |
June 18, 2020 |
One of four ShowBiz Pizza stores in South Carolina to undergo Concept Unification. |
Animatronics
| Animatronic |
Serial Number |
Whereabouts |
Notes |
| Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe |
1-82 1-10 |
Sent to Columbia SC (Now Destroyed). |
Bot sent to Columbia, SC after closure. Destroyed following Columbia's 2.0. Remodel in November 2022. |
| Pasqually / Dook Larue |
1-82 2-10 |
Owned by a Private Collector |
Was not sent to Columbia, SC after closure. |
| Mr. Munch / Fatz Geronimo |
1-82 3-10 |
Owned by a Private Collector |
Was not sent to Columbia, SC after closure. |
| Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear |
1-82 4-10 |
Sent to Columbia SC (Now Destroyed). |
Bot sent to Columbia, SC after closure. Destroyed following Columbia's 2.0. Remodel in November 2022. |
| Helen Henny / Mitzi Mozzarella |
1-82 5-10 |
Sent to Columbia SC (Now Destroyed). |
Bot sent to Columbia, SC after closure. Destroyed following Columbia's 2.0. Remodel in November 2022. |
| Billy Bob |
1-82 6-10 |
Destroyed. |
Destroyed during Concept Unification. |
| Pizzacam / Looney Bird |
1-82 7-10 |
Unknown |
Was removed between 2007-2009. |
| Munch Jr. / Choo Choo |
1-82 8-10 |
Unknown |
Was removed between 2001-2003. |
| Building / Sun |
1-82 10-10 |
Unknown |
Was not sent to Columbia, SC after closure. |
| Moon |
1-82 11-10 |
Owned by Private Collector |
Mouth mechanism and mask intact. |
| Antioch |
N/A |
Destroyed |
Destroyed during Concept Unification |
| Wink |
N/A |
Destroyed |
Destroyed after store closure. |
Videos
| Link |
Description |
Filming Date |
Published Date |
| Link |
A video showcasing the store's unique party room. |
December 24th, 2013 |
September 7, 2014 |
| Link |
'Holiday Medley' from Show 9 2016 being performed on S. Charleston's 3-Stage |
December 2017 |
December 22, 2017 |
| Link |
'Merry Christmastime' from Show 9 2016 being performed on S. Charleston's 3-Stage |
December 2017 |
December 24, 2017 |
| Link |
A store tour from December 2017. |
December 2017 |
December 28, 2017 |
| Link |
Store Tour from February 2020. Final footage before store closure. |
February 23, 2020 |
August 5th, 2023 |
