🛍 Deals

• Modern Companion is making sure the pooches get smooches too with Valentine’s themed accessories, toys, treats, and more.
• Ally & Eloise Bakeshop is offering a Be Mine Baby Cake Box that includes a dozen vanilla baby cakes covered in a vanilla glaze and decorated with sweet messages. Place your order by Thursday, Feb 9.
• The Collective is hosting a Galentines Day event on Wednesday, Feb. 13 that features champagne, sweets, a chance to win a gift card, and exclusive deals.

🍽 Meals

• NoMa Flea is hosting Songbirds for Lovers on Saturday, Feb. 11. For $80, dine on wings, deviled eggs, and boiled peanuts while you’re serenaded by local artists Admiral Radio and Jeff & Kelly Gregory.
• The Grand’s Valentine’s menu features a three-course dinner with the option of having a preset table featuring a bottle of champagne and roses. Make a reservation here.
• Di Prato’s Delicatessen is offering a four-course Valentine’s Day dinner for $60 per person. Call them at 803-779-0606 to reserve a table.

💐 Markets

• Don’t miss NoMa Flea’s Sweetheart Market happening this Sunday, Feb. 12 from 11 am. to 3 p.m. It will feature 15 local makers, live music, a card-making station, photo ops, and mimosa flights.
• Curiosity Coffee is hosting its annual Valentine’s Market tomorrow from 5-8 p.m. which supports local artists and creators. Guests can enjoy live music, food trucks, and find a gift for a special someone.

🍷 Drinks

• On Sunday, Feb. 12, River Rat Brewery is hosting a Valentine’s Chocolate Beer Pairing. For $25 per person, enjoy four 8oz pours with artisan chocolates.
• Molto Vino is offering a drop-in-style Valentine’s Day Wine and Chocolate pairing on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 5-9 p.m. for $25 a person. Taste four Valentine-inspired wines paired with artisan chocolates.

• UofSC Symphony Orchestra - Appalachian Spring and Awadagin Pratt | Tuesday, Feb. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene St., Columbia | $28 | The concert features Copland’s Appalachian Spring and the Symphony No. 1 by Columbia’s own Meira Warshauer.

• Half-Price Select Sushi & Martini Wednesdays | Wednesday, Feb. 8 | 5-10 p.m. | SakiTumi Grill & Sushi Bar, 807 Gervais St., Ste. 103, Columbia | Prices vary | The sushi rolls and drinks rotate each week so you never get bored with the same selections.

• West Columbia’s Meeting Street Artisan Market - NIGHT MARKET | Thursday, Feb. 9 | 4-8 p.m. | Interactive Art Park, 425 Meeting St., West Columbia | Free | Stroll through original arts and crafts from local makers, fresh produce, food vendors, face painting, and more.
• Table for Six: Health & Wellness | Thursday, Feb. 9 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Publico Five Points, 2013 Greene St., Columbia | $25-$35 | Participate in a patio workout hosted by Basecamp Fitness and enjoy a handcrafted menu.

• “From the Mothers With Love” Sketch Show | Friday, Feb. 10 | 8-9 p.m. | Trustus Theatre, 520 Lady St., Columbia | $10 | This show features new material from the “Best Improv or Comedy Group” in the Soda City according to readers of The Free Times.

• 67º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain

• If you said, “Cava” on this post, shared 60 weeks ago, get ready to be excited. The build-your-own Mediterranean bowl restaurant is coming soon to the location that used to house Starbucks in The Vista and closed two years ago. This will be the third location in the Midlands and hopes to open in late spring or early summer. 🥗 (The State)

• Something we all love to see — more parking in Five Points. Soda Citizens can now use ~50 spaces near Flying Biscuit Café on Harden Street. The new parking is intended for business patrons. Get a peek at the new parking lot on Flying Biscuit Café’s Facebook page. 🅿️ (The Post and Courier)

• Over the weekend, The Gamecock women’s basketball team beat UConn for the first time in Connecticut 81-77 in front of a sellout crowd. This marks their 29th consecutive win — tying the program record. Grab tickets to their next home game. 🏀 (Gamecocks Online)

• Have dreams of becoming a Certified Barbecue Judge? The South Carolina Barbecue Association (SCBA) is hosting a one-day seminar in Columbia to train new barbecue judges on Feb. 26 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. The seminar will complete your first step in becoming an SCBA Certified Barbecue Judge. 🍖

• Richland County’s Seed Sanctuary program is expanding. In addition to the sanctuary in Eastover, citizens can now get free vegetables, herbs, and wildflower seeds from the Richland County Administration Building (2020 Hampton St., Room 3063A.) See all the ways you can get your seeds here. 🌱 (Columbia Business Report)

• Citizens are now able to receive a free copy of Richland County’s 2023 calendar at any Richland Library location. Each calendar features community partners, services available in the County, and public events. If you can’t snag one in person, click here for a digital version of the local calendar. 🗓

• Grammy-winning country music star and SC native Darius Rucker will be headlining Upcountry Fiber’s first charity concert, Southern Fried Circuit, on Friday, July 28 at the Anderson Civic Center (3027 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Anderson). Profits will go to the Upcountry Fiber Foundation to support local charities in Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties. Grab tickets. 🎶 *

• National Spaghetti Day may have been last month, but we’re always down to celebrate. Enter: tri-colored linguine, pasta sauce, and breadsticks from Lowes Foods. Pro tip: Pair with this Cab Sauv from Southern France. 🍝*

• What’s getting us through February: Our humidifiers. We love the Levoit Blue Cool Humidifier for its quiet design, multiple mist levels, and how easy it is to clean. Do your skin (not to mention, your houseplants) a favor and up your home hydration.*

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