Commercial Truck Insurance in Columbia, SC

This is an edition of Capital City Progress, a weekly column that focuses on business, growth and development news in the Columbia area. It is written by Post and Courier Columbia business reporter Hannah Wade.

COLUMBIA — While some call it a "famously easy to hate" city, Columbia has snagged the attention of Southern Living Magazine.

The lifestyle publication named the Capital City no. 5 on a list of 25 Southern cities on the rise, which was released March 6. Spartanburg was named no. 3.

"These reader-selected cities have excellent food scenes, cool yet quaint downtown districts, incredible natural beauty, thriving arts communities, and the warmth our region is known for," the publication explained.

In recent years, Columbia and the surrounding areas have garnered a healthy amount of economic development boons and national attention on the city's food scene. Just over a year ago, Richland County and state officials announced the area's largest economic development project, Scout Motors.

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The $2 billion electric vehicle plant is expected to bring 4,000 jobs to the Midlands by the time trucks start rolling off the assembly line by the end of 2026.

The area's dining scene, which has been long overshadowed by Charleston and Greenville, gained national attention in January 2023 when three restaurants were nominated for James Beard Foundation awards. Dubbed the "Oscars of the food world," the foundation chose Columbia chefs and restaurateurs to be nominated for the first time in the city's history.

"Columbia is truly experiencing a hot streak of activity and we welcome all who want to come be a part of the experience," Bill Ellen, the president and CEO of tourism group Experience Columbia, said in a press release.

Other business news you might've missed:

Barnes & Noble, the national bookstore chain, has opened its new location in Columbia.

The retailer left its longtime space in the Richland Mall as redevelopers made plans to tear down the mall and construct a new park along with apartments, a grocery store and a brewery.

“We are especially pleased to retain a brick-and-mortar bookstore in a community when, for the last 20 years, closure was almost certain to mean its permanent loss," James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said in a press release.

The new location at 6090 Garners Ferry Rd. officially opened its doors March 6. It's open every night until 9 p.m., with the exception of Sundays when it closes at 7 p.m.

Columbia Business

Slim Chickens, a counter-service chicken chain, has circled a date for its grand opening. The newest Columbia location, set for 2089 N. Beltline Blvd., will open its doors March 18, according to a press release from the company.

The newest location will be about 15 minutes from the already-existing location on Columbia's Garners Ferry Road.

The city will soon say goodbye to an upscale plant store. PlantHouse Columbia, a chain location that sells plants and all things plant-related, will close its doors at 702 CrossHill Dr. on March 17, the store announced on social media.

Do you know a restaurant or retail business that is opening, closing, expanding or in the works? Reach Hannah Wade at hwade@postandcourier.com. Follow her on X: @hannahwade2000. And for more weekly business news delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our free Columbia business newsletter here.

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Behind the 12th Street Plaza shopping center and the bustle of Triangle City’s conglomerated intersections, a one-time West Columbia factory sits vacant and dilapidating. Determined signage still attempts to spell out “COLITE INDUSTRIES,” though a “t” and “s” have gone by the wayside.

The 300,000-square-foot facility at 228 North Parson St. was once home to that sign-making company’s world headquarters, before it departed for a new home in Columbia in 2008. The building and its still-striking signage were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

And they have continued to sit, seemingly undisturbed, showing little evidence of real estate development company Jams + Stark’s plans to transform the site into a multi-use development that would bring not just co-working space, but a food hall, multiple restaurants and more. The ambitious developers hope to have an impact similar to reclamation projects in cities such as Durham and Charlotte, which have helped turn those cities into destinations for culture and commerce.

But while nothing has visibly changed since the project, dubbed Colite City, was announced in October 2022, Wade Caughman, the company’s director of development, said recently that much has been done behind the scenes and specific announcements about what exactly will be moving into the new development are a few weeks away.

He added that progress has come slower than expected because of requirements that come with the property being on the National Register. The design phase the company has been working through included collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design, including a couple students from Columbia, Caughman said.

“I think people are starving for collaboration and engagement that they see in other areas, just like our Soda City Market,” he offered. “(That weekly Columbia market) is packed with different groups of people and ethnicities, types of businesses, creative, innovative entrepreneurs in all different ways. What we’re finding is ... there’s a lot of smart and great people in Colombia. But they’re all over the place, from Lexington to Irmo, downtown, Five Points, West Columbia.”

Colite City, Caughman added, would give them “an opportunity to collaborate in one location.”

The planned investment, the cost of which Caughman said he couldn’t yet disclose, would allow professionals and creatives a variety of spaces to carry out this collaboration, with maker/designer spaces, an entrepreneur hub featuring flex office space, studio spaces, and outdoor/indoor pocket parks envisioned as “creative and engaging spaces” all on the menu.

Beyond the specifically business-focused aspects, the project promises lifestyle enhancements for West Columbia, including the aforementioned food hall, two restaurant spaces and an event space the Colite City website dubs the CC Hanger. That 15,000-square-foot event space with an attached covered patio is pitched as a potential home for markets, dinners, music and special occasions.

Caughman detailed in an email that the project is in the process of locking down potential tenants, with those discussions including the likes of “well curated food hall concepts for the foodies of metro Columbia ... start-up tech companies, art/design, T-shirt makers, urban fitness, designers in fashion, furniture and leather.”

“We see many types of entrepreneurs creating synergy, from a blacksmith to a tech company to a designer who gets a great idea from a foodie in the food hall,” he added. “Unique and diverse people and businesses working together.”

Some might remember Caughman bringing to bear impactful local projects in the past — the residential developments City Club and Congaree Park, for instance. Caughman’s also known for some past legal trouble — he went to prison for fraud and money laundering related to a phony luxury car deal that duped investors out of more than $1 million between 2011 and 2016.

But he and Jams + Stark aren’t running from his past trouble. Caughman said he was upfront with the company and he’s being upfront with every potential Colite City tenant he talks with about his checkered past.

And West Columbia leadership doesn’t seem bothered by Caughman having a large hand in a potentially game-changing project for the city.

“It’s my understanding that he’s been upfront with everybody that he’s talked to as a potential investor about his prior experiences,” said West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles. “And at the end of the day, I think Wade Caughman is a visionary, and the timing works, and he brings us a doable project. I look forward to seeing it being done.”

The mayor sees the promise of Colite City as a big deal for his city, saying that if it is completed it would be “the most transformative project in the history of West Columbia.”

“It is in the geographic heart and center of town and will be an unbelievable catalyst for the areas around it,” Miles added.

West Columbia City Councilman David Moye, whose district includes the former Colite factory, emphasized the positive impact it could have on the surrounding neighborhood, which runs along Jarvis Klapman Boulevard and is made up of older residences originally spurred by the need to house workers at the factory.

And like Miles, he isn’t concerned by Caughman’s involvement.

“The old Colite site has been identified as the most consequential redevelopment site in the area, that’s the bottom line,” Moye said in a statement to The State. “A great project does not care who built it. If council gets a proposal from the developer that will meet our community and economic goals, and the city’s legal team thinks there are adequate protections in place, then it is in our interest to pursue the project. If not, then we shouldn’t. At this point, I am optimistic about the future.”

The location of the site is likewise a big part of what excites Caughman about its potential. He said its proximity to Jarvis Klapman and the thoroughfares that meet in Triangle City make it easily accessible from downtown Columbia, Lexington and local interstates, which should help it become a hub for creativity and entrepreneurship — one that might help the Midlands catch up with its larger metropolitan neighbors.

“Atlanta is 500,000 people, but you and I know, Atlanta’s 6 million,” he said, comparing it to the greater metropolitan population of Columbia, which is nearly 1 million.

Caughman argued that attracting and retaining talent tempted by places like Atlanta, with all the business and lifestyle benefits made possible by their larger populations, means taking swings like Colite City.

“This project and the connectivity is really going to bring things together,” he added.

Eric Woodard, who owns the record and comic shop Scratch N’ Spin roughly four blocks away in Triangle City, is hopeful for what Colite City might do for the area. He sees the project as being able to appeal to young professionals and students approaching graduation, hopefully helping to motivate them to stay in the area — and spend time near his store.

It could “attract the right kind of young professional that hopefully will stay in Columbia that will bring energy and new blood, so to speak,” he said.

This story was originally published March 22, 2024, 5:30 AM.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the state’s Emergency Management Division said they are ready to assist Maryland after a bridge collapse.

A container ship lost power and rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.

“South Carolina stands ready to assist Maryland following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” McMaster said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Please join Peggy and me in praying for the victims and their families.”

The Emergency Management Division said Director Kim Stenson reached out to Maryland’s secretary of emergency management to offer support.

“Maryland has not yet made any requests to other states,” the agency said. “At the direction of Governor McMaster, we are standing by to send any and all help we can.”

McMaster said South Carolina can expect to see more traffic on the roadways because of the bridge’s collapse.

“We can expect some more ships to come into the harbor and that will mean more traffic on the roads to unload and load. So, I ask everyone if and when that happens and it most likely will to have happen to have patience and realize it’s because of the tragic situation in Marilyn,” McMaster said.

Reporters reached out to the South Carolina Port Authority to see if any new operations were being put in place because of this. The agency sent back a statement that reads: “The South Carolina Department of Transportation, South Carolina Ports and Charleston Branch Pilots Association have already had initial conversations regarding the incident, and we will jointly review harbor operations, procedures and state infrastructure.”

McMaster said he understands this may bring up some concerns for citizens in South Carolina when it comes to increased use of the harbors and roads.

He said: “I want people to have confidence in our team and our port including the department of transportation has taken steps and are mindful of these kinds of things and are ready.”

McMaster did not elaborate on what those steps were but asked people to just be patient as Baltimore works through this tragedy. He said it could take at least three months for those repairs to finish up and for that wreckage to be cleared from Baltimore’s harbor.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

The Columbia I remember is slowly disappearing. I think about this while roaming around the city, feeling nostalgic for places that aren't here anymore. At 40, I've finally become the old "back in my day" man (don't let me get started talking about the music the "youngsters" are making these days.)

My Fridays used to be lit. No, I didn't go to clubs. I did what every nerd with a budget would do: go to Richland Fashion Mall's Barnes & Noble and walk around. I'd roam around taking pictures of books I would love to get (even though I have a stack of books at home that still need to be cracked), grab a coffee and then walk around Belk.

I would roam around for shirts on clearance before going to the Ralph Lauren Polo section and figure out which color hoodie and sweatpants I should save my pennies for (this is where my sweatpants obsessions began.)

Afterward, I would go upstairs and see a movie. Hell, this would be the perfect date night without moving your car. Fast forward to fairly recently, I walked into the mall's bookstore as they closed.

The Belk left earlier in 2023, and the theater has been a thing of the past for a while.

Despite finding what to do now on a Friday night, I began to see other parts of my love for Columbia leave us.

All the cool kids (or posers like myself) were heartbroken at the closing of The Whig. Five Points saw their staple of Yesterday's location become a chain brunch spot and my favorite watering hole, Rockaway Athletic Club, closed abruptly. Especially when they told the public it would have until Sunday to say its goodbyes, but after a profitable Wednesday that week, they decided to call it quits. It was a very Rockaway's-ish way of going.

After feeling heartbroken at these places in the mix of my social life, I realized a simple and essential epiphany: I love this place. Loving the city I live in sounds like a basic realization, but walk with me a bit. As a creative, years ago, the constant conversation of artists or anyone young with ambition in Columbia would always say one thing: Columbia sucks. We have to leave to have anything worthwhile.

Another new housing project may be coming to North Main Street in Columbia.

Developers are seeking approval to build two four-story apartment buildings with a resident center and space for a retail shop on the southern corner of Scott and Main streets, just as you get onto Main Street from Elmwood Avenue.

The project, to be named The Woodley, would have 102 units with one- and two-bedroom options, and the developer will create 91 surface parking spaces and nine on-street parking spaces, according to planning documents submitted to the city of Columbia.

The project also includes 1,800 square feet of retail space, which could host a storefront or office space.

If approved, the project would join other new housing projects that also have been proposed or are underway along the North Main corridor, building onto the steady growth of the North Main area that’s come over the past several years.

Just north of The Woodley, on the upper corner of Scott and Main streets, developer Steve Middleton plans to redevelop the former Jim Moore Cadillac site into luxury apartments, with 250 units and a 360-space parking garage. That project was first pitched in 2021, but the developer in January renewed the site plan with the Planning Commission.

The two apartments would be built among a blossoming stretch of businesses on North Main, including Curiosity Coffee Bar, Sweet Temptations Bakery and Uncle Willie’s Grocery Store.

Behind the apartment sites, on Sumter Street, sit Indah Coffee and Il Focolare Pizza in the Cottontown neighborhood.

Elsewhere in the corridor, nearby at 301 Sunset Drive, developers are working to turn an abandoned shopping center into a 300-unit apartment complex. Developers just received a tax break for the project, which is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2027.

Another apartment complex, Benton Crossing, is far along in construction at the corner of River Drive and Benton Street off of North Main, with about five dozen apartments included in the four-story building.

Along with new housing, new businesses have emerged along the North Main corridor, such as the new Peak Drift Brewing facility. The area has also seen beautification efforts through street improvements and the renovation of Hyatt Park.

The Columbia Planning Commission will consider the new project at a meeting Thursday.

This story was originally published March 11, 2024, 1:47 PM.