The beating sun warmed the air and the spirits of patrons and vendors alike at the Soda City Market team’s new vintage market in the BullStreet district, called Bullseye Vintage. 

Soda City regulars who sell vintage clothing and wares were among the inaugural vendors Nov. 16. The BullStreet district has been steadily building its presence in Columbia by bringing new housing, restaurants and retail to downtown.

Bullseye Vintage will be held every third Sunday of the month.

Stephen Ruxton, market manager for Main Street’s Soda City Market, said consistency is key for small vintage vendors that have to search for pop-up markets.

“This is going to be the third Sunday of every month … year-round, rain or shine, like, we’re going to be here,” Ruxton said. “What it’s really about is, like, giving them somewhere that they know they can be.”

Being able to regularly be at events like Soda City changed his life, said Shop SOLO founder Kali Leonard. When vendors know there’s an event that will be there for them to table at every month, it allows them to form deeper connections with their customers and other vendors. 

“Days that I don’t have markets, I’m trying to figure out how to get into markets,” Leonard said. “These shirts pay the bills for me.”

Ruxton said the exponential growth Saturday’s Soda City has seen in the past five years has primarily been driven by students from the University of South Carolina. The students both buy and sell, creating a new demand for vintage items at the market. 

“The students have really added a whole other dimension to the Soda City Market,” said Soda City Market CEO Erin Curtis. “We love that they love being here.”

By holding Bullseye Vintage the Sunday after Soda City, vendors from out of town have more of an incentive to sell at Soda City because they have a guaranteed market to go to on a Sunday. 

The more vendors can interact with local communities, the more sales and repeat customers they will make, Leonard said. 

“Time is something that you can’t get back,” Leonard said. “And if a person comes and spends their time, you know, looking through your stuff, even if they didn’t buy anything, it’s always a win. Who knows, they might see you at Soda City or, you know, events out of town and they may purchase something there.”