Grab barbecue, beauty products at recently opened establishments
Returning to campus means visiting your favorite restaurants and stores again. But this semester you may notice some new spots on the scene. Check out these new businesses that have cropped up in Columbia during the summer.
LOFT
A new LOFT retail store, which is basically Ann Taylor's edgier younger sister, opened in Trenholm Plaza in July. The store features LOFT's "style closet," a lounge containing the latest pieces from each season's collection and ideas for personalizing style. The store will host another grand opening event in September.
Orange Leaf in Five Points
Frozen yogurt shops have been popping up all over the Midlands during the past few years and the demand for the sweet treat hasn't slowed down yet. Orange Leaf, a fro-yo franchise, opened a location in Five Points in late April, right in the middle of finals week. The shop has a vibe reminiscent of local fro-yo establishments like Main Street's Yoghut and the Vista's Tutti Frutti with flavors rotating on a daily basis and a topping bar stocked with add-ons like shredded coconut, fresh fruit, waffle cone pieces and name-brand candy favorites. Though the walls are painted in a Clemson Tigers hue, Gamecocks will still like stopping by for some tasty frozen yogurt.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Considering that Dickey's Barbecue Pit markets itself as "the world's largest barbecue franchise," it was only a matter of time before the chain set up shop in Columbia. The Southern food joint's first restaurant opened in 1941, so it's pretty clear that Dickey's has perfected its special take on barbecue. The chain opened a location in Sparkleberry Square in June.
Cola's
The mural depicting a couple raising glasses with the words "'Here's to ... American Cooking'" has graced the Vista for nearly a year, and the long-abandoned building on Assembly Street has opened its doors at last. Cola's restaurant and bar opened downtown in June and has been dishing up delectable meals ever since. The eatery is owned and operated by Jeff Balish, whose family owns the Italian fine dining restaurant Garibaldi Cafe in Five Points. The restaurant is located in a restored 1930s building that formerly housed the Chero, Nehi and RC Cola bottling companies. Cola's unique menu offerings include lamb meatballs and potato dumplings, pecan butter sweet potatoes, pulled pork BBQ eggrolls, lobster mac and cheese and "Bloody Mary" oysters.
Sephora
Stocking brands used by Hollywood's top models and actresses, Sephora is one of the nation's top makeup stores. You don't have to travel far to get your beauty fix anymore, though. Sephora opened two locations in Columbia this summer with a stand-alone store in Columbiana Center on Harbison Boulevard and a makeup counter inside JC Penny in the Village at Sandhills. Sephora carries products by Smashbox, Philosophy, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Tarte, Bumble and Bumble, Dior, Nars and many more.
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