How to navigate A Starry Night in Five Points
’Tis the season to shop, eat and be merry, and Five Points wants to be the place to do it.
Columbia’s original village neighborhood will be brighter and busier than usual on Thursday, Dec. 3, for A Starry Night, an evening of nibbles, sips, shopping discounts and holiday activities. Enjoy complimentary food and drinks while you do some Christmas shopping and support local businesses. Five Points encompasses nearly 150 businesses, many of which are independently owned.
And this year, Five Points is doing a bit of celebrating of its own, marking its 100th birthday.
To commemorate that centennial, A Starry Night includes several new features, like the ticketed Paint Five Points Champagne Bash & Art Auction at Gourmet Shop, complimentary rides by S.C. Pedal Parlor and a holiday-themed photo booth.
To help you navigate the festivities, we’ve divided the night into five points of interest. See what you should eat, drink, shop, see and do.
1. EAT
▪ Moon pies at Sid and Nancy
▪ Cheese at Vestique
▪ Tasty bites at Revente
▪ Various treats at Bohemian, Sylvan and DuBose Jewelers, and Creech & Creed Real Estate Services
▪ Appetizers at Cycle Center
2. DRINK
▪ Complimentary hot chocolate at the fountain
▪ Cheerwine at Sid and Nancy
▪ Wine at Vestique and Revente
▪ Various drinks at Bohemian, Sylvan and DuBose Jewelers, and Creech & Creed Real Estate Services
▪ Spirits at Creech & Creed Real Estate
▪ $2 domestic bottles, $2.50 imports, and $1 off crafts and drafts at CJ’s
▪ Complimentary wine at Holiday Hippie Hour at Loose Lucy’s, including live music
3. SEE
▪ Pop-up performances from carolers and dancers. Shandon Baptist Youth Carolers, Unbound Dance Company, Benedict College Choral Group will all be performing.
▪ The Salvation Army’s famous red kettle at the fountain
▪ A DJ spinning holiday tunes at the fountain
4. DO
▪ Take a complimentary horse carriage ride from 6-8 p.m., with pickup and dropoff between Starbucks and Petal.
▪ Snap a few selfies at the holiday-themed photo booth in the 600 block of Harden Street.
▪ Meet Santa in front of the Hootie Monument at Santee and Harden streets.
▪ Hobnob at the Paint 5 Points Champagne Bash & Art Auction at The Gourmet Shop. (This is a ticketed event.)
▪ Flag down a ride from S.C. Pedal Parlor at the fountain to whisk you to a new destination if you grow tired of walking.
5. SHOP
▪ Revente: 20 percent off
▪ Sid and Nancy: 20 percent off
▪ Vestique: 15 percent off
▪ Wish: 50 percent off clothing and jewelry
▪ Wildflower Boutique: 20 percent off one full-priced item
▪ The Oops! Co.: $5 off a purchase of $25 or more, plus free gift bag wrapping
▪ Cycle Center: Discounts on closeout bikes and all accessories
▪ Loose Lucy’s: 20 percent off any one regularly priced item of $25 or more with a donation of pet food, toys, or beds to help homeless shelter pets
▪ 2G’s Clothing: 50 percent off all jeans, decorative pillows and shams, plus 25 percent off all other clothing, hats, scarves, jewelry, boots and bedding
Related: For Paint 5 Points project, 10 artists created work depicting Five Points
Related: Some Five Points history, along with historic photos
If you go
A Starry Night
WHEN: 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3
WHERE: Five Points
GETTING THERE: There will be free parking in the State Parking Garage on Devine Street, with shuttle rides from Southern Valet to and from the Five Points fountain.
COST: Free
Happy birthday, Five Points
The neighborhood is celebrating 100 years in 2015. Here, some events through the years:
1915: Rocky Branch Creek is drained to create the area.
1919: First business in Five Points opens – Gulf Filling Station on Harden Street.
1920: Next businesses in Five Points open, including Goss and McKinnon Repair Company and Carter Furniture Company.
1935: Businessman Theodore Dehon opens Shandon Coal Company on Greene Street.
1945: Dehon goes on to build first storefront on Saluda Avenue.
1948: U.S. Post Office opens on Saluda Avenue.
1950s: First Chinese restaurant in Columbia, Kester’s Bamboo House, opens.
1973: The Stage Door bar in Five Points claims to be the first restaurant in South Carolina to serve a cocktail after the Legislature’s approval of the sale of liquor by the drink.
1978: Group Therapy and Yesterday’s Restaurant and Tavern open.
1982: Inaugural St. Pat’s in Five Points festival takes place. Today it is one of the Southeast’s largest.
2003: First Starbucks in Columbia opens on Saluda Avenue.
2004: Two-year, $30.5 million redevelopment project begins to beautify Five Points, improve drainage and boost pedestrian safety.
2005: Five Points has grown to hold 30 restaurants, more than double the 14 in 1977.
2015: More than 50 bars and restaurants call Five Points home, along with a growing number of retailers and service providers.
SOURCE: The State, Flock & Rally
This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 12:18 PM.