The city of West Columbia held a public information meeting on February 4, 2009, at 6 pm entitled "Choosing a Brand Name." The purpose of the meeting was to enlist community input in identifying a designation that citizens and visitors could associate with businesses in West Columbia's shopping district.

According to Zoning Administrator Br ian Car ter, the city of West Columbia was presented with 10 names and accompanying slogans and chose their favorite five to present to the public.

The names and slogans are: • West End: Village on the Congaree • Vista West: Village on the Congaree • River District: History on the Congaree • Old Town: Village on the Congaree • Rivertown: The Gem of the River

At 6 pm, Cathy Novinger, representing the West Columbia Beautification Foundation, began her presentation. About 30 members of the community, including West Columbia City Council members, L. Dale Harley and Tommy Parler, were in attendance. Novinger explained that antique dealers throughout the area wanted an official antique district. The West Columbia Beautification Foundation, in coordination with city staff, solicted ideas for names and slogans. Novinger said the foundation liked the idea of celebrating the shopping district's "unique heritage connected by sidewalks."

Novinger added that coming up with a brand name was important because it provided a marketing tool and was essential to the idea of destination marketing, citing the example of Five Points, which is a portion of the Columbia metropolitan area that most can easily identify. Novinger encouraged business owners in the audience to use the name. "This is a great opportunity for us," Novinger said.

Brian Carter introduced the five possible slogans and told the public to put stickers on the slogan they liked best. At the end of the evening, 22 people had voted. The brand name with the most votes at the end of the evening was Vista West: Village on the Congaree, which received 11 votes. Old Town: Village on the Congaree received four votes, while River District: History on the Congaree and Rivertown: The Gem of the River each received three votes. West End: Village on the Congaree received one vote, respectively.

Carter explained that the public's vote at the meeting is not "binding," and it is theoretically possible that city council, which has the final say, could chose another slogan. Carter strongly emphasized, however, that at the present time, West Columbia City Council has no other names or slogans under consideration.