Soda City Market reopens Saturday, but with these new rules
This Saturday, Soda City Market will once more take over Main Street in downtown Columbia after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But while the hugely popular market will be back from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be spaced out vendors, no street entertainment and safety and health restrictions in place.
In a plan released Thursday, market organizers laid out a four-stage scheme that ends with things returning to normal “post-vaccine.” This weekend, the market will be in Stage 1, which includes added staff, alternate booth spacing, enforcement of guests using personal protective equipment and no busking or street entertainment.
In an email to The State, market founder and CEO Emile DeFelice said the plan was developed in coordination with the city of Columbia, which recently approved a ordinance requiring the use of face masks. Mayor Steve Benjamin, assistant city manager Melissa Gentry, economic development director Ryan Coleman and public works director Robert Anderson all had input on the plan, DeFelice said.
Among other restrictions in place for Stage 1, guests are encouraged to only send one family member per household, consider arriving early and avoid “hanging out.” Six feet of social distance is recommended, and a mask will be required under the city ordinance. Vendors will provide bags and boxes, and guests are asked to avoid handling products on booths when possible.
Vendors, meanwhile, will spread out booths, encourage “grab and go” behavior instead of browsing and must wear masks and gloves. Unwrapped samples won’t be allowed, and vendors should pick produce, flowers and other products instead of letting customers do so. Chairs and tables for customers won’t be permitted either.
The market, founded in 2005, will be one of the first large gatherings to return in Columbia since the start of the pandemic. Most recently, the annual Rosewood Crawfish Festival, scheduled to take place at the State Fairgrounds, was canceled. Back in March, Columbia’s annual St. Patrick’s Day festival in Five Points was canceled as well.
Soda City Market has become a favorite Saturday morning activity for many residents — the market’s website claims up to 5,000 visitors on a typical Saturday, with an average of 150 vendors lining Main Street in the heart of downtown Columbia.
The decision to reopen, however, comes as South Carolina has seen a surge in virus activity. Over the past week, more than 800 new cases have been reported by the Department of Health and Environmental Control, with four days over 1,000. The average percentage of positive tests has increased over the past four weeks, while the amount of new total tests has stayed roughly the same. The number of those hospitalized with COVID-19 has also increased.
