The sweet smell of cookies and competition filled the air at NoMa Warehouse and Davis Architecture over the weekend as gingerbread enthusiasts, architecture admirers and residents of Columbia gathered for the the South Carolina Gingerbread House Competition and Exhibition.
The gingerbread houses were on full display in NoMa Warehouse on Dec. 1 and were shown at Davis Architecture during a cocktail party on Dec. 2, where winners were announced.
Beth Lawson, owner of NoMa Warehouse, organized and hosted the event alongside Davis Architecture.
“I obviously didn't invent the idea of a gingerbread house competition, but I saw that there wasn't one in Columbia," Lawson said. "I just thought it would be a fun thing to do for the holidays, particularly to support Rapid Shelter Columbia."
Rapid Shelter Columbia is the beneficiary of the South Carolina Gingerbread House Competition and Exhibition, and is a housing project that aims to help those experiencing chronic homelessness since fall 2022.
“I think we'll get some great donations, and that's always super helpful," Mackin Wall, the homeless services project manager for Rapid Shelter Columbia, said. "Also, I think it will just give the community a chance to get to know what Rapid Shelter Columbia is because we've just been open for over a year, and a lot of people still don't know about us. So, it will be cool to get to tell people about the shelter and the program and what we do."
Rapid Shelter Columbia received all proceeds from the event, including donations and the participation fee from the competing businesses, according to Lawson. . Nine teams submitted gingerbread houses for a chance to win the People’s Choice Award, which was voted on by attendees on Friday.
The gingerbread houses were displayed during a flea market in NoMa Warehouse from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and were surrounded by small vendors and Christmas-themed activities with the chance to vote for the best sweet structure. Participants included architecture firms, bakeries, real estate agencies and design students from universities across South Carolina.
"We had kind of lofty goals for this first year, and we're glad that we're at the level that we are," Lawson said. "But we really do hope that work kind of spreads, and it's something that we'll do every year."
The houses were moved to Davis Architecture on Saturday for a cocktail party and the announcement of both the People's Choice and judges' vote winners.
A sign for the first annual Gingerbread Contest and Exhibition presented by NoMa Warehouse and Davis Architecture. All of the proceeds made by the event were awarded to Rapid Shelter Columbia.
The People's Choice award received more than 330 votes, Director of Business Development for Davis Architecture Cole Davis said during the cocktail party, and the win ultimately went to the Gingerbread Barn by Seed Architecture."
The People’s Choice Award was not the only award given out during the ceremony, as a panel of local judges awarded a second set of trophies. The first place
winner of the South Carolina Gingerbread House Competition was Santa's Sweet Shop by The Sweet Shop SC. The second place spot went to the Gingerbread Barn, and the third place spot went to the Gingerbread House of Christmas Cards by Boudreaux Architects.
The gingerbread houses were judged on the basis of overall appearance, creativity and originality, difficulty, precision and consistency of theme.
"The judges spent over two hours (voting). There were five categories that they ranked from one to 10 for each entry, and they really focused in and read the write ups and took it very seriously, which we loved," Davis said.
The gingerbread houses will be on display at the locations where they were created, and more details about the winners are available on the NoMa Warehouse social media pages.
"Our goals are to engage these people and tell them about the opportunities and the resources available so that they will hopefully come to a shelter and, if it's not Rapid Shelter, then a shelter in Columbia, because we have a few really great ones. And try to get them permanently housed with wraparound services so that they're continued to be supported," Wall said.