Greene Street showcase highlights dozens of Columbia businesses
As students began the first day of classes and the entire USC campus roared to life Thursday, Carolina Welcome Week continued by offering a Merchants Fair on Greene Street.
The fair, an annual event sponsored by Off-Campus Student Services, provided students with the opportunity to interact with local merchants and familiarize themselves with the products and services they offer.
Only 10 minutes after the fair began at 11 a.m., students were already filing down Greene Street and checking out all of the various displays. Businesses that had attended the fair in previous years knew that the large crowd was nothing new. Paula Wessinger from Vista Tanning has attended the fair for three years.
“I usually go through about 800 flyers each year,” she said.
The fair introduced a variety of businesses to students including banks, insurance companies, restaurants and health care providers. Many of the merchants said their main goals for the fair were to gain exposure and to make students more aware of their services.
Kim Hamilton represented Tios Mexican Cafe, a college eatery located across from the Horseshoe at USC.
“We just want the students to know that when they’re studying hard late at night, we’ll come and deliver them food,” she said.
The fair received another large burst of students after the fire alarm in Russell House went off around noon, causing all of the students inside to evacuate. Angelica Carrion, a third-year sports and entertainment management student, decided to take a shot at golfing at the Wachovia table after the alarm went off for the second time.
“I was coming from class trying to get something to eat,” Carrion said.
However, Carrion decided to make the most of the fair’s freebies.
“You’ve got to get it how you live,” she said. “It’s an expensive world!”