We probably don’t need macarons, another succulent, or to stand in line for 15 minutes just to get a taste of Sonnie’s freshest lemonade. Then again… maybe we do. The Soda City Market is everyone’s favorite part about living in Columbia, at least on Saturday mornings.
When everyone starts walking along the red median of the street, noses are filled with great smells of candles, coffee, BBQ, acai bowls and more as you see smiling faces selling their favorite pieces and trying new things.
Customers and vendors tend to bring along their friendly and calm tempered dogs for others to pet and make acquaintance with. There are all types of doggos to satisfy puppy fever from French Bulldogs to Australian Shepherds.
Still trying to decorate that college apartment/dorm? There’s decor galore including plants, wall hangings, recycled art, paintings, etc. offered all along the street so we market goers are bound to find a piece we really love.
According to the Soda City Market Website; The name “Cola” is used to abbreviate Columbia and thus the nickname “Soda City” came about. Later on, the market started on the 1300-1600 blocks of Main Street as the All Local Farmers Market with 6 vendors and 225 customers “on a rainy day in November 2005”.
It has grown every week since then to become what it is today as the Soda City Market with 150 vendors, 5 thousand customers generating over 5 million dollars in taxable gross sales annually. That’s a lot of macarons.
Broke college students are usually happy to hear that the event is completely free for roaming from 9am to 1pm, however, people usually tend to spend around $15 or $20. Pro tip; if you want to limit yourself, bring cash.