Handmade watercolor prints, buttons, stickers and paintings fill the Bee Bottom Arts booth each Saturday.

Stacey Black creates and sells her wares at the Soda City Market, which sprawls across several city blocks on Columbia’s Main Street.

Food stalls, flowers, thrift tents and local artists fill the market, recently named the best in the country by USA Today.

Yes, it’s fun. Yes, market-goers take their dogs and meet their friends.

But the market also is a way to help local, small businesses extend their footprint and thrive.

Stacey Black, the owner of Bee Bottom Arts, started her business six years ago and has had a stand at Soda City for five and a half years.

When she started, she had a handful of artworks she decided to sell from a small table.

“I have received so much support over the years at Soda City, and my business has grown,” Black said. 

Her attendance at Soda City has allowed her product variety to increase.

Black’s business is painting and art, but artists are not the only ones who have stands at Soda City.

Food stands and trucks also fill the street on Saturdays – bakeries included.

Alika Selig, a co-owner of Ally & Eloise Bakeshop, started attending 13 years ago, a year after starting her bakery.

Selig has two storefronts in the Columbia area, but attends the market to boost her business and build community relations.

She said that one good thing about the market is being able experiment, especially when starting a business.

“It’s kind of like a test market before you want to open a store,” Selig said.

Soda City is an affordable incubator for businesses to start and grow with support from the local community, Selig said.

The market accepts local businesses that fit the market’s mission of exhibiting local creators and locally made goods. 

The exposure to potential customers is powerful, Selig said. But the community formed among the vendors is also supportive.

“We help each other set up tents,” Selig said. “We watch each other’s booths. When you become close with these people, you want to support their business as well.” 

The bonds formed include bonds with patrons of Soda City.

“I have definitely customers that I know and have become friends with, and they frequently come in, if not to purchase something, just say ‘hi,’ because now we have this relationship,” Black said. 

Those relationships help maintain the city’s small-town feel while showing off the best the city has to offer.

“I just feel very proud to have this market in our community,” Black said. “I’m just really proud to be a part of that.”