Soda City farmers market celebrates 20 years

By Mike Switzer

Published April 11, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

Erin Curtis, CEO of the Soda City Market in Columbia, S.C.

Most events held in downtowns across our state receive some amount of financial support from the town in the form of grants from hospitality or accommodations taxes. Our next guest’s highly successful weekly farmers market however, which closes down a few city blocks each Saturday morning, does not accept any municipal money and is now in their 20th year. Mike Switzer interviews Erin Curtis, CEO of the Soda City Market in Columbia, S.C.

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

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