How I Go Columbia: Miss Cocky’s Caroline Johnson and Mandy Fannin

Columbia moms, entrepreneurs and business owners Caroline Johnson and Mandy Fannin have been friends for more than 30 years.

After graduating from Columbia High School, they went to different in-state colleges, married, and began their families but managed to stay in close touch over the years. In fact, their mothers are best friends.

In 2008, when Johnson’s husband, Ellis, accepted a job back in Columbia as the University of South Carolina football team’s defensive coordinator, the two friends seized the opportunity to finally bring their boutique business idea to life. In 2009, the two launched Miss Cocky Boutique at 621 Gadsden St. The shop offers collegiate-licensed and noncollegiate-licensed apparel, jewelry, shoes and accessories. It recently was chosen to carry the new Vera Bradley Collegiate line this summer.

Fannin lives in Northeast Richland with her husband, Eric, and their children, Ayden, Tyler and Sophia. Johnson and her husband, Ellis, and their children, Eli, Sandra Elliott and Charlie, live in Chapin.

EAT

Johnson: We just moved to Lake Murray in July, and our family favorite quickly became Liberty on the Lake. I really enjoy the live music, and my children love to sit outside and eat and watch the boats and people coming and going.

DRINK

Fannin: Miss Cocky has had the best next-door neighbors for the past seven years. One of our favorite things to do together is to sit outside on the porch at Thirsty Fellow. They always know our drink and offer the best service in town.

PLAY

Fannin: We love to fish. Our neighborhood, Lake Carolina, has several great spots. We’ve caught a few good ones at Lake Murray, too. We are big Jeep enthusiasts, so one of our favorite things to do is take the tops off and head to one of the many beaches or lakes around us. That’s what is so great about Columbia, is the ease of being able to pack up the kids and the dog and take day trips or long weekends at a moment’s notice.

Johnson: Riverbanks Zoo has been our favorite since the kids were in strollers. Another one of our family favorites is boating on Lake Murray. There’s never a shortage of activities on the water.

SEE

Johnson: One of the most fascinating things I have ever seen is the purple martins coming in each night to Bomb Island at Lake Murray. It is one of those things that you just have to see in person to really grasp the beauty of the experience. I read that it can be as many as 750,000 birds coming in each night, and in the mornings when they leave, it’s been so massive it’s actually shown up on Doppler radar maps.

Fannin: We’ve had at least one of our three children playing soccer for either South Carolina United or CESA during the past 10 years. So, we’ve seen our fair share of soccer games. Currently, we love to watch our oldest play varsity soccer for Cardinal Newman.

LISTEN

Johnson: Colonial Life Arena is our go-to venue for all of our favorite shows. They offer such an amazing variety of entertainment for the whole family, from a Gamecock basketball game to one of the many annual kid-friendly productions they host. It’s also nice to have a local venue for the bigger artists to come to so close to home.

Fannin: We are actually excited about a mini high school reunion we have planned for the “I Love the ’90s” concert at Colonial Life on May 13.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 9:06 AM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Miss Cocky’s Caroline Johnson and Mandy Fannin."