The Five Points community and the City of Columbia were rocked by the loss of Andy Shlon on Thursday, January 14. Since 1978, Shlon’s Andy’s Deli has been a landmark in the Five Points community. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Shlon moved to Columbia in the 1960s and later opened Andy’s Deli. When Shlon purchased the building it smelled of seafood […]

Early Columbia History Columbia was founded in 1786 as South Carolina’s second capital. It was laid out in a two mile square grid. Boundaries were Harden Street (east), Heyward Street (south), Congaree River (west), and Upper Street (north). Upper Street was later named Elmwood Avenue. An act of the State Assembly in 1798 established the first town cemetery and an […]

Bonnie Smith is a seamstress extraordinaire— a skill about which she is very modest. At the very beginning of the pandemic she immediately began to research patterns and “best” fabric for the best protection. She quickly ran out of the fabric she had on hand from previous sewing projects and mentioned it to her neighborhood walking group, since at that […]

For 23 years Columbia City Councilman Sam Davis has represented the residents of District 1. On Wednesday, January 27 he announced he will not be seeking re-election. His term expires this year. “I think it’s time,” Davis said. “I’ve had a good time focusing on the things I’ve set out to do. I really made up my mind two elections […]