The votes are in: Columbia’s Soda City is America’s best farmers market
Columbia’s Soda City market is the best in the nation, USA Today readers have decided.
The weekly farmers market and craft fair held every Saturday on Main Street beat out 19 other nominees for USA Today’s latest Readers’ Choice awards.
“This first-place finish places Soda City Market in the national spotlight and affirms what many locals and visitors already know—that Columbia’s open-air Saturday tradition is more than a market, it’s become the City’s ‘town square,’ ” a statement from Soda City announcing its win reads.
Soda City beat out markets in West Palm Beach, Florida, Honolulu, Hawaii, and San Francisco, California.
The Columbia market has become known for helping catalyze small businesses, leading to brick-and-mortar shops for several entrepreneurs who started with weekend booths. Local favorites like Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles, Arepa South and others got their start at Soda City.
Soda City has grown into a huge event, going from a handful of booths in its first iteration 20 years ago, to now roughly 200 vendors and up to 10,000 visitors each week.
The event is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, between the 1300 and 1700 blocks of Main Street.
