Shopping in Columbia

Get Lost Bookshop stocks its many shelves with used tomes and new magazines. The independently owned shop specializes in literary fiction, history, religion, and cultural studies, and also has a selection of elusive art magazines and graphic novels. A cozy space for like-minded literati, Get Lost Bookshop often hosts readings, live music, and funerals for dead e-reader batteries.

In Harmony's Treasure Box’s 2,000 square foot shop, new and gently used items of children’s clothing mingle on clothing racks amid shoes and kid’s accessories. From tiny infants to boys and girls first learning to use stilts, the shop’s broad selection decks out youths of all sizes in clothes from Gymboree, Baby Phat, and other kid-centric brands. Mothers-to-be can outfit budding tummies in maternity wear, as well as reap other child necessities such as high chairs, strollers, and swings. For those with quickly growing little ones, the shop also purchases gently used, freshly laundered apparel for cash or store credit.

According to Vox Magazine, jewelry designer Kyle Batisch flourishes at revamping an old piece of jewelry as much as he does creating one from scratch. Often, customers will present him with an antique bracelet or necklace that belonged to a loved one with the request that he make it new again, often with a different jewel or an eye-catching new finish. With the help of Kyle’s jewelry-designer wife Tracy and custom-jeweler Kevin Oleson, KT Diamond Jewelers has created more than a thousand custom pieces of jewelry for clients to cherish for generations. Guests often come to the shop with specific ideas for their custom trinkets, which Kyle and Tracy sketch to make sure their vision aligns with the client's. Once on paper, Kevin takes over to carve the design into wax, fit the stones, and show the prototype to his customer before crafting the final masterpiece in metal. Once the metal has been cast, he cleans it and resets the stones, resulting in a new bauble designed to immortalize wedding vows or simulate the joy of winning an NBA championship.

For a quarter century, John Bechtold has been helping his fellow Americans light up the sky with an extensive selection of wholesale fireworks. His digital catalog and retail store boast consumer-legal pyrotechnics from national brands, such as Shogun and Firehawk. The merchandise runs the gamut from handheld sparklers to Da Big Bomb Box, whose four cakes fire off colorful crackling stars, crackling tails, and bouquets before culminating in a 12-shot finale that stretches nearly 300 feet in the air. Buyers unsure of what to choose can consult a pyromaniac psychic or the staff's recommendations, and true professionals can choose from the company's own '76 Pro Line, developed exclusively for display operators.

Nestled downstairs of Parkade Plaza, HerStory Boutique collects an ever-changing menagerie of new and gently-used designer apparel. The knowledgeable staff greets visitors with complimentary bottles of water and expert fashion advice, guiding guests through forests of blouses, dresses, and shoes from labels such as Ben Sherman, J Brand, Toms, and Rebecca Minkoff. Like a slackened necktie or a terrycloth cocktail dress, the shop's extensive selection of denim keeps clients looking both fashionable and comfortable, and a vast array of jewelry and accessories cherry-top ensembles with fashionable accents.

Clark's Tool & Equipment opened in the 1970s as a discount tool shop, but when Don Gamble took the helm, he swapped out the supply of inexpensive outlet supplies to feature quality, American-made tools. Since then, the single shop has blossomed into four retail stores and a 15,000-square-foot warehouse stocked with a full line of brands such as SK Hand Tools, Ingersoll Rand, and Eagle Industries. The emporium of tools is an authorized supplier to industry students and teachers with a strong clientele in the rail, trucking, and manufacturing sectors.

Clark's catalog of tools and accessories includes hand tools, electric tools, and abrasives that summon the steady hands and keen eyes of everyone from industrial veterans to DIY enthusiasts. Safety equipment, tool accessories, and compressors are available to round out every toolbox with the appropriate fixings. Expert technicians also sharpen dulled blades, saws, and gardening tools and bring damaged or broken power tools back to life with skilled repair services.