BUSINESS
The 4 Corners of Commerce Take a quick tour of Columbia’s business neighborhoods.
nn BY KATHY CASTEEL
EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, ALL AROUND THE TOWN – business is booming in Columbia, a regional trade center where you can find a wide range of commercial activity in any direction. If you’re looking to do business here, just follow your compass. EAST The east side is where you’ll find big-box retailers and other national chains that draw shoppers from all over central Missouri. Broadway Marketplace, at the junction of U.S. 63 and Interstate 70, features Academy Sports + Outdoors, HyVee supermarket, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Staples, a Walmart Supercenter and several fast-food joints. Just down the road is Broadway Shops, a complex of national, regional and local merchants, such as Massage Envy, Palen Music Center, Palm Beach Tan and Plato’s Closet. Cross over I-70 to shop The Home Depot. Drive a little farther north to indulge a variety of retail needs at Bass Pro Shops, Menards and Furniture Row.
WEST Some 40 years ago, the western edge of Columbia was rolling farmland, a bucolic buffer between the interstate and the smattering of businesses at the intersection of West Broadway and North Stadium. Today, this area is built for the shop-’til-you-drop crowd. Columbia Mall offers more than 120 stores and 10 restaurants. Next door, The Shoppes at Stadium features national retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, David’s Bridal and Dick’s Sporting Goods. This section of Stadium Boulevard is lined with well-known retailers like Ashley HomeStore, Best Buy and Marshalls. Crossroads West Shopping Center at the junction of Broadway and Stadium offers shops like Petco and Red Weir Athletic Supplies.
SOUTH Follow Providence Road south past Stadium Boulevard, and you’ll find specialized retailers to suit any CoMo lifestyle. The intersection of Providence and Nifong Boulevard is an epicenter of bustling commercial activity. Nifong Square boasts services from Peak Sport and Spine physical therapy to Ell & Company salon and Tiger Cleaners. Across Peachtree Drive, you’ll find Authority Gymnastics, The French Laundry & Alterations, Show Me Guitars and more. Just past Rock Bridge High School, tap into various services for health care, veterinary medicine and landscaping, plus a crafty gift shop, workshop and artisan bakery called Plume. 46
R E LO C AT I N G I N C O LU M B I A
Across Providence is Rock Bridge Shopping Center with a Big Lots and Joann Fabrics and Crafts. Head east on Nifong to check out Kohl’s department store. Due south are several storage vendors, Orscheln Farm & Home and a range of automotive services. If your south CoMo tour routes you along Forum Boulevard, start at Forum Shopping Center. Look for retail enterprises such as Schnucks supermarket, pet favorite Treats Unleashed and the bargain hunter’s paradise Tuesday Morning. Catch a movie at Forum 8.
NORTH Columbia’s north side is the industrial heart of the city. Local factories situated primarily north of I-70 pump out all manner of goods for the entire country. Here you’ll find companies such as 3M, American Air Filter, Environmental Dynamics International, Honeywell, Kraft Heinz, Patric Chocolate, Quaker Oats, Schneider Electric Square D and more. Suppliers tend to gravitate to this side of town — including Bolivar Insulation, Con-Agg Companies, Crown Power & Equipment, Henderson Implement Co., Mid-City Lumber, Midwest Block & Brick and more. There are automotive services, body shops and salvage yards aplenty on the north side of town, as well as recyclers, waste collectors and the city landfill. l
