Page turners: Columbia bookstore recognized for social, community impact
Since it debuted three years ago, Columbia’s All Good Books has been an increasingly popular destination in the famed Five Points neighborhood. Now the shop has received a unique certification for its efforts in the community.
The bookstore at 734 Harden St. has been a hub for those looking for new books or a good cup of coffee. It has consistently hosted readings and signings with local, regional and national authors, been a meeting spot for local advocacy groups and book clubs, and partnered with area schools and organizations for events and initiatives.
All Good Books on Thursday held a gathering to recognize the shop’s recent B Corporation certification. It is believed to be the first Columbia retail business to receive such certification, and it is one of just a small handful of businesses in South Carolina to become B Corp-certified.
Per the B Corp website, a B Corp designation “is an integrated business certification that assesses and verifies a company’s social, environmental, and governance impact.” The organization says that a B Corp certification “signals to stakeholders — customers, employees, and investors — that your company is committed to responsible business practices that benefit people and the planet, not just shareholders.”
Clint Wallace is a professor of law at the University of South Carolina and one of the co-owners of All Good Books. He said the bookstore and its leadership have been working since the store opened in 2023 to become a B Corp-certified business.
“It really is validation of what we have been working on for three years,” Wallace told The State on Thursday. “We started thinking about the store as it exists today in 2022. From the very first moments, we knew we wanted to do something that was not just a standard business arrangement that was about bringing in more than you are paying out. We wanted to have a social mission.”
Wallace said a big portion of All Good Books’ mission is centered on creating community via reading. He said that was a key piece of gaining certification with B Corp.
“We are in Five Points, so we are in this sort of corner of diverse neighborhoods and the university and downtown,” Wallace said. “From here we do events at USC and Benedict College and Allen University and at the public schools and some private schools. We can be everywhere from right here, and that’s important.
“Our social mission that this B Corp certification is recognizing is, in large part, about our community-building around books and reading.”
Ben Adams is a co-owner and co-founder of All Good Books. He noted All Good Books has become a key gathering spot for the literary community, young readers and other interested groups.
“We provide space free of charge for things we do here, probably four or five nights a week,” Adams said Thursday. “We do local author events, literary gatherings of all kinds, and our book selection is curated to a wide array of high-quality books that our community can enjoy and benefit from reading. And whenever possible we work with local suppliers.”
Adams also noted All Good Books offers a livable wage to employees, starting at $16 an hour, more than double the minimum wage in South Carolina.
Second-term Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann was among those in attendance at All Good Books’ Thursday B Corp announcement. He noted it has been special for Columbia to have an independent bookstore in Five Points in recent years, and lauded the shop for being a community partner.
“This community supports small businesses,” Rickenmann said. “But our small businesses also support our communities. They are part of it. ... I love that we’ll be able to tell (All Good Books’) story. Hopefully this is what some of our other companies will be doing, pushing for this certification.”
Columbia Chamber CEO Carl Blackstone said “books are an important piece of our culture.” He pointed to All Good Books’ efforts to balance business with social, community and sustainability initiatives.
“Your investment in Five Points and downtown and in social and cultural programs is awesome,” Blackstone told bookstore leaders at Thursday’s gathering.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 1:51 PM.
