COLUMBIA — The Shops on Sharp End entrepreneurship program in downtown Columbia celebrated Steep & Bloom on Saturday in a graduation ceremony, as the small business expands to a new location.
The Shops on Sharp End, a retail incubator, sits in the heart of the black business district on Fifth Street, creating a shared space for local start-ups to sell their products, host events, and connect with the community.
The Sharp End program manager, Tiowana Warrick, said she joined the shops back in 2024 because of the rich history and commitment to growing small minority and underserved communities.
“Back then, in the 1940s and 1950s, the black community wasn’t able to go shopping everywhere in Columbia, and so the black people decided, we’re gonna build up our…
