The Soda City Market is Columbia’s weekly event inspired by European street markets.

Vendors, who sell self-grown and self-made products to the public every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the shadow of the Statehouse, might be the reason the market is so acclaimed.  

The market averages 200 vendors per week with up to 7,000 visitors on a regular day, according to its website. Special event weekends such as celebration of Earth Day and another collaboration with the Columbia Museum of Art have brought up to 10,000 visitors to the market.

Vendors come from all parts of South Carolina for the opportunity to sell their foods. Larry Schneeberger from Tom’s Creek Family Farms comes from Hopkins and has been a vender for more than eight years. He sells fresh produce, meats and hot pretzels. 

“It’s the best market we do, profit wise,” Schneeberger said. “This is also the biggest market in the United States. They just got (named) #1 by USA Today.” 

One of the main highlights of the Soda City Market is the food and drinks sold. Each week, 33 nationalities are represented through pastries, produce, meats, drinks, and more. The market has a variation of snacks, entrees, desserts, and drinks, giving shoppers a wide variety to choose from.  

The market takes its name from “Soda City,” a nickname derived from a popular shorthand for the city: “Cola.”  

Soda City, also now shorthand for the market, has become a more than a once-a-week opportunity for some vendors to sell their products. Organizers say 24 vendors have opened their own businesses after success at the market.  

Janice Caldwell and her husband own JJ’s Place and have been selling at Soda City for three and a half years. Caldwell said the market has “catapulted” their business. 

“It’s been a huge help to build our customer base here, and now we have a (West Columbia) storefront where we can just keep growing,” Caldwell said.

Certain vendors have used the market to sell healthy food options and educate shoppers about the importance of knowing what they’re consuming.  

Products from the Laurens-based South Carolina Ostrich, for example, are made with no added hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.  

Other vendors share the commitment of selling fresh and wholesome products. Those sellers provide a wide variety of fruits and vegetables grown on their own farms.  

Schneeberger and others set up shop out of the back of an 18-wheeler. They travel to different markets and city neighborhoods throughout the year to sell their product.

Schneeberger said Soda City market has been their biggest success.  

USA Today’s recognition process was led by a panel of USA Today editors and industry experts who selected 20 of the nation’s top farmers markets, with the Soda City Market coming in at No. 1. 

“The average farmer’s market has around 40 vendors – this market has 300,” Schneeberger said. “They are (the tops of) farmer’s market(s) in the United States.”