Soda City Comic Con draws thousands to Columbia, millions in spending to local businesses

Thousands of superheroes, anime characters, artists and pop culture fans are filling the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center this weekend for Soda City Comic Con, but organizers say the impact extends well beyond the convention floor.

Now in its 11th year, the event has grown into a major gathering for fans while also bringing visitors and their spending into downtown Columbia.

Soda City Comic Con co-founder Steven Powell estimates more than 8,000 people will attend this year’s event.

“The attendance has grown tremendously from when we first started, you know, from twenty fifteen till now,” Powell said. “So, it’s it’s grown every year and it’s going to continue to grow.”

That growth is also generating business for Columbia hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

“We’ve done economic impact year to year, a couple million dollars as far as hotels with, you know, revenue driving to restaurants. As you can see, the convention center is full to the gills. So it brings a lot of money into into the town that normally would not be here,” Powell said.

The economic impact is also evident inside the convention center, where hundreds of artists, creators and small-business owners are selling everything from artwork and books to cosplay accessories.

Tyler Lawrence drove about two hours from Concord, North Carolina, to spend the weekend selling handmade fantasy ears through her business, The Colors of Cosplay.

“Soda City Comic-Con is like my second biggest con that I do really well at. Columbia, or South Carolina as a whole, has been really good for sales,” Lawrence said. “Like the cosplay community here is so warm and welcoming. So I love coming down here to sell.”

For artist Curtis Talley, conventions are a primary way to get his work in front of customers. Talley said he does not sell his artwork online and instead relies largely on events such as comic conventions to showcase his work.

The convention can also help vendors build connections that last beyond a single weekend.

For Tataw, the event is also a chance for visitors to support creators directly.

“So many people travel far to dress up in their cosplays to create, to see, of course, the celebrities, but also to come and support so many local artists and crafters, which I love the most,” Tataw said.

Organizers say that sense of community has remained at the center of the event even as its audience has expanded.

Powell said people of different ages and backgrounds are now embracing interests that were once considered more niche.

“When you see the different age grade ranges and the demographics that come up and show up, it gives you, like, wow, there’s this fandom is so much more than what you originally thought,” Powell said. “It’s not what it used to be because used to be a negative connotation with, like, pop culture and nerd culture. It’s mainstream now.”

From money spent at Columbia businesses to sales made by vendors inside the convention center, Soda City Comic Con has become more than a weekend gathering for fans. For many attendees and creators, it is also a marketplace, a business opportunity and a community they return to year after year.

Soda City Comic Con continues on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.