Shiny ‘Penny’: A new boutique store has opened in this popular Columbia neighborhood
A popular women’s clothier has opened the doors on a new location in one of Columbia’s key retail and hospitality districts.
Copper Penny, which was founded nearly four decades ago and has several locations in the South, held the grand opening for a new spot Wednesday at 743 Saluda Avenue in Five Points. It’s right between Uptown Gifts and Bang Back Pinball Lounge.
The store’s opening was marked Wednesday with a ceremony with store representatives and local officials, including Mayor Daniel Rickenmann.
Copper Penny specializes in women’s clothing, including dresses, tops, pants and leggings, swimwear and more. The company also offers shoes, jewelry, accessories and gifts.
There are Copper Penny locations in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Raleigh, Greenville and elsewhere. The company is based in Charleston and was founded in 1987.
Store manager Sarah Derrick, a Columbia native, has been working with Copper Penny for 6 years, first at the Greenville location, then in Mount Pleasant. Now she’s returned to her hometown to oversee the new spot on Saluda Avenue.
“Copper Penny has been dressing women for 38 years,” Derrick said Wedneday. “We are thrilled to be doing the same in Columbia.”
Five Points, the more than century-old village just east of the University of South Carolina, has continued to be a central capital city gathering spot with restaurants, bars, shops and more.
Rickenmann said he was pleased to see a clothier such as Copper Penny debut a new storefront there.
“I love having a mix of restaurant, retail and entertainment,” the first-term mayor said. “This brings another aspect of retail to the community. They’ve had a great reputation, wherever they’ve landed.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
