Downtown Columbia Sees Economic Boom

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Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — Over the last year, several businesses have opened up in downtown Columbia. City officials said they are seeing an economic boom. The red ribbon is cut and the food is being served. Newk’s Eatery in the Vista is officially open for business. “You‘re a guest in our home when you come here,” said General Manager Jessica Garvey. Garvey runs the new restaurant settled right in the heart of the Vista. The fast, casual dining experience is the latest to open up downtown. “It’s a historical building, it‘s the vista so it‘s busy,” explained Garvey. In the last year, officials said downtown business is booming, with several new restaurants opening up and more people spending money. Lee Catoe with the Chamber of Commerce said as more small businesses like Newk’s Eatery open up, it has a direct impact on the city‘s economy. “Each time there is a small business open like this it spurs the economy and it encourages someone else because they are going to bring the customers here who will shop next door and people who shop next door will come here so its a chain reaction,“ said Catoe. The economic growth is something Catoe expects to continue, especially with the new baseball stadium being built just a few miles away. “We are just on the verge of explosion, economic explosion,” said Catoe.