Emerald City Coffee House

Posted on by

If you saw a piano, a fireplace, couches, some books, tables with reading lamps, and maybe a few board games, you might be in someone’s living room. But if that living room had black walls, local art, a skull, and amazing coffee beverages that rumble across your table every time the red line train passes by, you’d be at Emerald City Coffee House.

Continue reading →

Nonnah’s

Posted on by

Founded in 1996, Nonnah’s was one of the first restaurants to set up shop in the Vista. Nonnah’s, a family owned store, was voted “Best of Columbia” seventeen years in a row by Free Times, The State Newspaper, The Columbia Metropolitan Magazine, and the Daily Gamecock. If you’ve already been to Nonnah’s you know what a great addition it has been to The Vista. They have a supper menu, brunch, full service bar with a wonderful list of wines, big frothy cappuccinos, and great desserts.

Continue reading →

NextDoor

Posted on by

Next Door isn’t your typical coffee-house. In fact, it really isn’t. It’s an experiment by State Farm to dive into the third place space by providing free, no-pressure seminars and coaching about personal finance topics; budgeting, insurance, and getting started with a business. These seminars take place in conference rooms and ‘IKEA-like’ portable ‘coaching cubes’ that can be moved around the space. There are seminars and classes put on by locals covering topics like health and wellness, yoga, poetry, blogging, and social media. This is not your everyday space. State Farm owns the space and anyone is welcome to come in and plop down on one of the sofa’s or community tables. There’s a coffee shop that rents space inside to provide coffee, tea, pastries, and crĂŞpes. 

Continue reading →