How I Go Columbia: Jessica Bornick on her favorite hangouts

Nashville native Jessica Bornick has been a busy woman since her move to Columbia six years ago.

Bornick, who has a degree in fashion design, and long-time friend Britt Willis have been growing Owlette, a children’s and women’s clothing and accessories design company they started in Nashville. Bornick also teaches sewing classes at Tapp’s Arts Center under the name Owlette Academy.

In her spare time, her musician husband, Aaron Graves, taught her to play drums, and that resulted in her joining his indie rock band, Those Lavender Whales. The two have a daughter, Elvie.

Bornick is one of six jury members who vet the 300-plus vendor applications to Crafty Feast, a juried craft show happening Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. (She also will be a vendor there).

EAT

Some of my favorites for an everyday meal are Blue Cactus, El Burrito, Lamb’s Bread and Real Mexico. For fancier occasions, without the kid, Aaron and I love 116 State, Motor Supply and Camon. And of course, Columbia’s best late night spot for food is always The Whig. Chipotle pimento cheese fries are the best after playing a show.

DRINK

The Whig is definitely our go to for a drink or when we have friends in town. Their weekly specials are always tasty and the beer on tap is perfect. Some of our favorite date night spots are The War Mouth, 116 State and Bourbon.

PLAY

We have a kid, so where we play is very important. We love taking Elvie to Congaree National Park to take a walk or camp for a night. Riverbanks Zoo is always a standard family outing. We live in Earlewood and have two neighborhood parks that we frequent pretty often, too. And going to Soda City as often as we can on Saturdays is nice. You can even find me down there sometimes as a vendor slinging Owlette.

LISTEN

New Brookland Tavern always feels like home for music in Columbia. I’ve seen so many great shows there, it’s hard to count them all. It is definitely my favorite place to play a show, too. It’s always a treat to attend a house show. Music Farm is a stellar venue and Tapp’s Arts Center has been holding some great shows lately, too.

SEE

One of my favorite things to see around the holidays are craft shows, and Crafty Feast is definitely my favorite in Columbia. Columbia Museum of Art is also a favorite, and their collection is amazing. I’m really excited about the new costume exhibit. Seeing a movie at The Nickelodeon is always great for a date or family outing.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Jessica Bornick on her favorite hangouts."