Soda City Market — Attraction in Columbia

Soda City Market is always a lot of fun, and is one of my favorite things to do in Columbia!

I love getting to know all of the different vendors, and checking out the really cool miscellaneous items that they're selling. Today, I learned that there's a shop in Five Points that sells vintage, 1980s-style clothing, as well as Jamaican, Brazilian, and Belgian-themed restaurants in the city. I never would've known that before going to Soda City. I also got a decent slice of pizza, as well as a solid cup of coffee. And... the dogs! If you're a dog lover, I'm not sure there's a better place on Earth to find some beautiful dogs than Soda City, they were precious!

There's really only two (2) downsides to Soda City: the prices are very expensive relative to the quality you're getting. Now, you are supporting local businesses, so I don't mind paying a little bit more for it. However, nearly $20 for a good, but not great, slice of pizza and cup of coffee isn't particularly ideal. Also, there's always very obnoxious religious zealots who either scream into a megaphone, or spout race-based conspiracy theories on the street corner. I don't mind the people who have a booth and welcome you to talk to them, but the ones who scream into their microphones kinda...

What a great market! I don't think I could have done this before I was vaccinated, it's really crowded. But it felt so nice and normal, just like before Covid! (I think there is usually more live entertainment in the middle of the street, but I've never been before so I didn't miss it.) Lots of food, good for breakfast and/or lunch. I managed a dairy-free protein shake, a sausage biscuit, shrimp and grits and a piece of cake during my visit. Tons of vendors, lots of plants and produce, jewelry, candles/oils, art, pottery, just everything you would imagine. There's even a lady who sells miniatures that she makes herself -they are SO CUTE! Definitely worth a visit. The earlier you go, the easier it will be to find street parking - I only had a short walk to where I parked on Lady Street, which is one end of the market. There are NO official bathrooms - they don't truck in port-o-potties - so most people go to the Mast General Store.

EDIT - on a second visit, I had the fresh donuts and they were INCREDIBLE, best thing there. I also had some seafood paella and it was okay. Watch out for dogs! Everybody likes to bring their dogs and sometimes traffic jams happen when dogs want to greet each other. It's easy to run into someone else or...

Each week I go to Soda City to enjoy the different baked goods that I can get. Each time encountering the most pleasant small business retailers . Each week my children and I see individuals bustling with instruments, magic tricks, and cards. A man was playing trivia with the crowd. The owner of Soda City took it upon herself to approach the man and berate him which in turn caused the police to surround him. This was terribly humiliating and it was not even my humiliation. All eyes were on him. You all should be ashamed as he was quite nice. However, I know you could care less because your statement to me when I asked WHY was "mind your business". WOW!! Maybe you need to work on customer service instead of the girth of your wallet. You need to focus on the crowd allowing their dogs to defecate within the Main street landscape without picking it up. You need to invest in a poop bag station instead of bad attitudes. P.S. The crowd enjoyed the man. He must have spoken a truth to touch a lifestyle that did not want to be stirred. But I will never know because you made Richland...