ON THE ROAD: NoMa neighborhood houses of Columbia’s hidden gems

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– If gas prices have you less eager to go on the road, you’re not alone. 

Luckily, there’s many things to do right here in Columbia.

“We are trying to get people out here to see that it’s a fun night to hang out. Bring your family. Bring you friends,” said Mazie Cook, founder of NoMa Warehouse

Even though it’s right off of North Main Street, some people in Columbia don’t know about the Cottonwood neighborhood or the NoMa Warehouse.

“We have all local vendors from artisans to clothing curators. It’s a lot of funky, fun, off the wall things,” Cook said.

On Friday evenings from 6 to 9, the warehouse hosts The NoMa Flea.

“Check out different people working on their craft. We have anchor vendors who are here all the time as well as our pop up vendors,” Cook said. “It’s a great way to spend your evening or after dinner. It’s a great way to really kick off your weekend.”

The marketplace also has wine, beer and a lot of cool people to meet.

“My daughter has a store over here in the corner,” said vendor Bryan Kerouac. “She is doing very well and she had a little shelf. She said ‘Dad, you should bring some of your stuff, I have a little shelf for you.’ The next week, the shelf got a little fuller. I said ‘Maybe I should have two shelves.’ She said ‘No, you need your own space.’”

His own space is called Blue Centerlight and has an assortment of interesting items.

“I found all these knickknacks from across the years and centuries. I find them, clean them up and bring them here,” Kerouac said.

Many of the items conjure up old memories for the shoppers.

“They’ll go ‘Oh my goodness! Grandma had these.’ or ‘Mom and dad had these,’ Kerouac said. “Over here, there’s these plastic cups from the sixties and seventies. A lot of people will say ‘We drank Kool-Aid or Tang out of those.’” 

Even if you don’t buy anything from Blue Centerlight, Kerouac says that’s totally fine with him.

“People will come by, stare and say ‘These are really beautiful.’ We say hi and talk, share a laugh and a story and walk away,” he said. “I’m very happy with that.”

If you’re interested in being a vendor at the flea market, check out the NoMa Warehouse website.