Columbia’s Five Points gets a new Latin-inspired clothing, gift shop
About a decade ago, Wayne Pankey moved to Columbia and was immediately taken with the vibe in Five Points, the century-old nightlife and shopping village just east of the University of South Carolina.
Now he’s working at being a part of the Five Points story.
Pankey has opened Botanica de Santee, a Latin-inspired apparel and gift shop, at 724 Santee Ave. in Five Points. The store has been open for a couple weeks and marked its grand opening in a Wednesday ceremony attended by Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, Five Points Association board chairman Steve Cook and others.
Botanica de Santee offers shoes, shirts, jackets, artwork, votive candles, music records and more. The shop is open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“I have a love for art, music and fashion, and I wanted to have a place where I could have all of those loves in one spot,” Pankey, a Connecticut native, told The State. “I wanted to bring something a little different. These are the cultures I grew up around. Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica. I wanted to bring the arts from those cultures here.”
During Wednesday’s ceremony, Pankey presented Rickenmann with his own votive candle, which had a depiction of the mayor on it.
Rickenmann said continuing to add shops like Botanica de Santee will help create a more balanced Five Points, where retail shops thrive during the day and bars and restaurants do strong business at night.
“This is what (nearby college) students are asking for,” Rickenmann said. “They want Five Points to be a more diverse community. They want it to be 18 hours a day. They want to eat breakfast here, they want to shop here, they want clothing stores and artists. That’s what the students are asking for, and it’s the kind of thing (nearby) neighborhoods are asking for.”
Cook, who helps lead the Five Points merchants association, said the unique offerings at Botanica de Santee immediately fit the feel of Five Points.
“This is what Five Points is,” Cook said. “You don’t have this kind of mix (of businesses) many places. I still think Five Points is kind of the epicenter of where this kind of stuff happens, because it is still affordable for someone to have a shop and not compete with a lot of corporate tenants.”
Pankey said customers will feel at home at Botanica de Santee.
“Some of the merchandise contains wording en español, but the universal themes of life and love apply,” Pankey said.
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
