With The Paint Store closing downtown, a new business is taking its place.
Located at 418 Main St., antebellum homeowners John Klosterman and Billy Cox are prepping a “high-end consignment shop” for a new downtown destination.
Klosterman, a caterer by trade, first got into consignment shopping when the wedding business slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic. He started helping his friend with his consignment shop in Fairhope, Alabama, which helped plant the seed for the new Columbus store The Southern Exchange.
“I had no idea this was going to be something I enjoyed at first,” Klosterman said. “I bought an old antebellum home here in Columbus, fell in love with the house and fell in love with the city and here we are.”
The Southern Exchange will sell high-quality home items including books, rugs, furniture, jewelry, lawn art and more.
“We want people to come see what’s available at our local store rather than have to go out of town to these high-end antique stores,” Cox said. “We’ll have things for somebody redoing an old house, but we’re also looking to market to Columbus in general. It’s just going to be a really nice store where people can bring in really nice things to sell.”
Klosterman said he hopes to open up shop by the last week of March. Though the store will have antique items, he added it will also sell modern pieces as well.
With downtown Columbus continuing to revitalize, Cox said he’s excited about playing a part in making Columbus city for shopping.
“We feel like our store can help bring in other people,” Cox said. “Downtown Columbus needs to be a destination.”
Also in downtown, Columbus’s new cigar lounge is officially open.
Sola Cigar Co., 423 Third Ave. S., held its grand opening on Saturday.
“We’ve been working hard to create a space where cigar lovers can kick back, relax, and enjoy premium smokes – and we can’t wait to share it with you,” a post read on social media.
Moving towns, Starkville’s newest bar is officially open.
The Landing, 706 University Drive, opened this month.
Allen Hodges announced The Landing would replace the old University Drive Laundromat building in December 2023. I did not hear back from Hodges by press time today, but according to the rooftop bar’s Instagram a live band will take the stage Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. You can check out The Landing 3-10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Thursdays, 11-1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
Also in Starkville, there’s a new halal market open. Global Halal Market, 210 N. Jackson St., opened this month and sells various food items considered halal, meaning they fall within Islamic guidelines.
Store manager Karci Watson said adding this type of store promotes cultural awareness in Starkville as well as filling a need in the area.
“The first reason that inspired our opening was benefiting the native Islamic community,” Watson said. “Our owners are both Muslim, so they experienced the hardships of trying to find halal products to feed their families. … Many families travel to Jackson, Memphis and even Nashville to stock their homes up. Another important reason for having this store in Starkville is to benefit the international student population at Mississippi State University. … This market is a way for them to connect to their home. They come so far and we want them to feel welcomed and accepted, so having that little slice of native grocery supply helps them adapt to our community.”
Global Halal Market is open every day 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Watson also added that the owner Akeed Saleh intends to open a food truck in front of Global Halal Market with to-go plates. Keep an eye out for more updates!
Buy the Yard of Starkville, 2120 Old Highway 25 South, is officially open. Owners Melanie and Andrew Beese have operated Buy the Yard in Columbus for nearly 20 years and decided to expand their services to the Starkville area.
The landscaping supply store sells and delivers various items including mulch, gravel, stone, potting soil, top soil, sand and more.
Check out the new landscaping supply store 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-noon on Saturdays.
See y’all next week!
Former Dispatch reporter Mary Pollitz writes weekly about interesting business news. Have a tip? Send it to [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
