Located near the center of Five Points sits one of the newest additions to Columbia’s local book scene, All Good Books. The bookstore aims to provide a unique gathering space for friends, clubs and companies in Columbia.
All Good Books, which opened in March of 2023 in the former Parthenon Restaurant space, is primarily owned by Ben Addams and Clint and Jenna Wallace. When the owners originally created their plans for the store, they decided to create an advisory board to further aid in helping the store succeed and benefit the Columbia area.
“As the main ownership team was putting together their plans on the store, they decided that they wanted to invite several community members to be on this advisory board so that when they had different questions that they wanted more voices involved in, they would have people that they could go to,” Aurora Bell, a member of the advisory board, said.
The bookstore sells over 10,000 books from a wide range of topics and genres, including Columbia and South Carolina, fiction, history and the LGBTQIA+ community. The store also features a children’s section with books for children of all ages.
Heidi Mackey, a customer at All Good Books, said she likes the variety of books that are available in the store.
“I really appreciate independent bookstores because they carry a different, more diverse selection than what you would find in places like Barnes and Noble," Mackey said. "I've come to find that like this one's more tailored to the community."
Catering to and creating a lasting impact on locals are the primary ways All Good Books helps foster a space specifically for Columbia residents, Ruth Smyrl, the store's general manager, said.
"We cater to the community's tastes with our book selection," Smyrl said. "We are there for the community with whatever they need. We are we try to be a contributing member of the community."
All Good Books also aims to differentiate itself through a communal area in the back of the store, which serves a variety of purposes.
“There's a really nice big space in the back of the store, which has big long tables where you can have just like a private book club there, but community groups can also come in and use that space to if they needed to do a retreat, get out of the office to talk about the work that they're doing,” Bell said.
The bookstore is currently working toward becoming certified as a B Corp corporation with the help of their advisory board. A B Corp certification would designate All Good Books as a company that positively impacts the Columbia area in different ways.
The store has done this by spearheading community events, including a month-long book drive for local children’s organizations during the month of December.
“People could buy books to donate to be gifted to those children. Also, there would be one day from each of those weeks where a percentage of proceeds would be donated to that organization," Bell said. "And then we also did gift wrapping for those books as well, to give books as Christmas gifts to children."
All Good Books also works closely with the Richland County Public Library to coordinate book sales and author signings. The bookstore provides those who work in the field of literacy and literature with gift certificates to aid them in their work.
One specific group in Columbia that All Good Books caters to is local college students. Bell said the bookstore appeals to students by giving them a space outside of the classroom to study and connect with others.
“They have a cafe, so if you want to go and buy a coffee and do some studying or get to enjoy books outside of the ones that you're assigned for class," Bell said. "It's just a really, really nice space to be in the community, both with your fellow students and also with non-USC community members as well.”
Smyrl said she believes the bookstore is worthy of being a B corp because it provides a great place for all readers.
“If you love books, if you love words, if you love language, this is the home for you,” she said.