With the holiday shopping season in full swing, West Columbia businesses, including Meeting Street Artisan Market vendors, are seeing activity increase.

Danny Shealy is the owner of Big Sid’s Happy Place Designs. He markets his creations at the Artisan Market.

“I love the Artisan Market, he said, it’s a great place.”

The City of West Columbia’s Meeting Street Artisan Market is open every Saturday at the Interactive Art Park, 425 Meeting Street, from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Until January, customers get 15% off your entire purchase. The market includes vendors selling original art, crafts, foods, and produce.
Danny hand makes unique, finished, cutting boards. He also crafts coffee, cocktail, sofa and end tables. He’s something of a tree whisperer, too.  

“I let the wood tell me what it should be,” he said. Before he begins creating a piece, Danny said he gets a feel for it and that board is made into what he interprets it was intended to be.

Danny, who started woodworking as a stress reliever from his job, grew up in West Columbia. He said he looks forward to setting up at the Artisan Market. It’s not too big and it’s in a great location, with plenty of near-by parking in the Interactive art Park lot.

“There are great people at the market,” Danny said. “We are like a family.”
He also said the market is a good place to meet up with old friends, and communicate with the community.  

Carol Shealy is Danny’s wife. She loves the Artisan Market, too.

“We love the people of West Columbia,” Carol said. “We want to support them, because they support us.” She also said the Artisan Market is basically free to vendors who buy a one-time inexpensive license.

Not far from the Artisan Market is State Street. There are several businesses there, including antique dealers, where business is trending upward.  

“We’re very pleased with the amount of traffic we’re seeing,” said Margaret Causey, owner of Old Mill Antique Mall on State Street, West Columbia. “People are buying Christmas decorating items, jewelry, glassware and other gift items.”

If you’re not sure of what is the right gift to buy, Brenda Hite of Hite’s Barbeque on Dreher Road in West Columbia, has the solution.

We sell barbeque Boston butts and  turkeys,” said Barbara. They are great gifts. Everybody loves food and there are no wrong sizes or the wrong color.”

Hite’s is taking orders for Christmas barbeque into early Next week, until about Dec. 16. The popular restaurant sells barbeque pork, barbeque chicken, along with hash, rice, slaw, green beans and baked beans.

“We also sell sausage from November until Easter,” Brenda said. Hite’s sells regular sausage and onion sausage and garlic sausage. 

There are many venues, from the Congaree River to Triangle City and beyond to shop in West Columbia, this holiday season. 

This week’s Artisan Market vendors are:

Ali Peake Quilling

Benji Hicks Art

Big Sid’s Happy Place Designs

Colleen Doodles

Downstairs Stitchery

Ethan Moseley

Faithful Foods Inc.

Ken Erickson Potter

LK Studios

Mopickles

Seminole Candle Company

Sips, Dangles and More

Sweet Delights

The Hope Chest

Topstitch Leather and Glass