A food court at Dutch Square Center at 421 Bush River Road now entirely empty of eateries.

COLUMBIA — Nearly two years ago, Bishop Eric Davis of Word of God Church and Ministries International made a "major announcement," in a social media video that drew over 10,000 views.

"We are expanding our footprint, WOG has a new location under contract," Davis said of his nondenominational church.

"It's Dutch Square Mall," he cries out, as a hip-hop beat plays and drone footage pans across Columbia’s oldest indoor mall, which opened in 1970.

Dutch Square Center, which opened in 1970, sits in northwest Columbia at 421 Bush River Road.

Word of God Church's main campus sits across from Dutch Square Center, which is located at 421 Bush River Road. The church has congregations in Columbia and Baltimore, as well as in the West African countries of Ghana and Sierra Leone. Its website outlines a plan to turn the mall into “Compass Premium Mall,” with surrounding hotels, condominiums and hopes of making the site a "tourist attraction" within 10 to 15 years.

Area residents have long described the mall as struggling, with at least a dozen empty storefronts bearing “for lease” signs inside. A food court entirely empty of eateries sits near a closed-off section that once housed Bow Tie Management Cinemas — a closure in April of an attraction that drew residents from across the Columbia area, marking a significant blow to the mall.

Although Word of God Church says it agreed to buy the mall for $12 million, property records still list New York-based Nassimi Realty as the owner, with its property management firm, Winbrook Management, appearing on the leasing signs inside the mall.

Neither Nassimi Realty nor Word of God Church responded to interview requests.

In a presentation last summer to Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and city council members, Davis called Dutch Square Center a "zombie mall in the midst of our community." He pitched what he described as a $31 million first phase of the mall's redevelopment — a vision that includes turning its 2,600‑seat movie theater into an event space and converting 14 theater rooms into "live and film venues."

The closure in April of Bow Tie Management Cinemas marks another blow to the struggling Dutch Square Center at 421 Bush River Road.

Davis also requested $2 million from the city to support an "innovation center" focused on K-3 children and would house an animation studio he co-founded.

The city ultimately did not approve that funding request, which would have supported the innovation center over four years.

Vacant food court stalls inside Dutch Square Center in northwest Columbia bore “for lease” signs — as did many storefronts throughout the mall.

While the project secured $18 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds last summer through the South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Authority (JEDA) — a state-created entity that helps finance private and nonprofit projects — the money must be repaid, unlike the city funding, which would have been a direct investment.

In response to an interview request, JEDA Executive Director Jesse Smith said in an emailed statement that the authority was introduced to the project by the mayor and believed it would be "beneficial to the city."

"I have not heard from Bishop Davis in a while but ideally they are progressing," Smith said.

A 'staple' of the community

On June 4 around 5:30 p.m., typically peak hours for malls, only a handful of customers were seen walking through and browsing. Though much of the parking lot was empty, there were noticeable clusters of cars near Planet Fitness and on the side of the mall where anchor tenants Burlington and Office Depot are located.

Area residents have long described Dutch Square Center at 421 Bush River Road as struggling, with at least a dozen empty storefronts bearing “for lease” signs inside.

Rome Neal, 39, was walking to Office Depot that afternoon to print a return label. He told The Post and Courier the mall had more open stores and foot traffic when he moved to the area about a decade ago. Still, he occasionally visits the main mall to browse the sneaker shops and see what jewelry is available.

"I would love to see revitalizing, some more businesses. I don't want to see it shut down and turned into something else," said Neal, calling the mall a "staple" in the community. "I used to live in Lexington so when I was in high school, I would come over here to go to the movies and shop."

Maxwell Skinner, 26, was inside the mall considering whether to open a bakery there. He currently sells cakes, cupcakes, pastries and pies at a flea market.

Maxwell Skinner, 26, was inside the mall considering whether to open a bakery there. He currently sells cakes, cupcakes, pastries and pies at a flea market. He wasn’t impressed.

He wasn’t impressed, saying, “with how much business comes through the mall, I don't think it would be a good idea.”

Skinner, a longtime area resident, recalls eating at restaurants, hanging out with friends and attending annual events like Halloween and Christmas at the mall.

"Halloween, they used to be out here selling candy. Christmas, they actually had a giant Christmas tree," Skinner said. "There were organizations out here spreading joy and giving wealth to people. It was actually pretty nice."