I had a dear friend visit this past weekend. To give her a taste of Columbia that wasn’t all hot dogs and pigskin, we spent our Saturday morning exploring the downtown district. From art studios to vintage shops, here are a few of our favorite finds:

Photo by Chantel O'Neal

For our first stop (after coffee, of course), we hit ArtLandish Gallery and left with a lace-imprinted dish, a bow ring and a bracelet that I’m currently wishing I spotted first.

Photo by Chantel O'Neal

After wandering the likes of Orr Street Studios and PS: Gallery, we made it over to Broadway. Tallulah’s had critters for us. Meet my new piggy bank ($7.50 um, yes please) that I’m fairly certain is some kind of condiment dish. But he doesn’t mind hoarding coins instead of BBQ sauce. And my friend’s little cast iron mouse that we call Templeton, for obvious reasons.

Photo by Chantel O'Neal

Shopping for clothes was not on our agenda, but we ducked in Maude Vintage to get out of the drizzle. For kicks, I tried on a pair of high-waist floral shorts and my friend tried on plaid pants. The joke was on us because we left with both. (But the pants were only $1. That’s right, the same price as four gumballs. Side note: They don’t look as pajama-like in real life.)

There were plenty more places we visited, but this post has to end at some point — so I’ll stop at three.

Where would you take someone new to CoMo? Any recommendations? (I’ve only been here a year, so I’m always open to suggestions.)

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