COLUMBIA, S.C. — The sound of piano music pierces through the air as people wonder around the Five Points area.
The music grows in volume as customers approach one of the areas' oldest establishments, Gibson’s Gift Store. The store, almost 70 years old, was the first drug store to reside in the five points area and has since continued to sell its popular cards and stationery necessities.
The musician playing the piano is Gibson’s current owner, Ima Thibodeaux who wanted to make an effort upon buying the store 5 years ago to keep some things, like the well-known name, the same.
"I thought for a second I could change the name because I value tradition and the history of the store, so I decided to go to honor that" Ima said.
Since the development of Five Points in 1915, the area has been an asset in the community's social life. And while some things have stayed the same, others continue to evolve as the community sees fit.
Historic Columbia director of preservation John Sheerer has witnessed this ongoing evolution.
“You went from an area that was largely rural to one that, by the 1920s and 1930s, featured stores of all different kinds," Sherrer said. "There are destinations left and right where you know 20 years ago you might have had empty buildings or perhaps underutilized buildings, underutilized properties."
Today, a typical weekend in Five Points is lively, crowded, and full of energy.
During times like those, Ima says she would sit at her storefront window and observe folks walking by. After sitting for a while, she started to realize Gibson’s was not evolving as fast as the Five Points community was.
"I came to the conclusion that, wow, Gibson’s does not belong with this foot traffic" Ima said. "I have realized that it has become funkier instead of traditional, more eclectic and all styles are together. So, I have decided to go in that more funky direction with the store."
Although each decade has brought different senses of style, energy, and intel to Five Points, there are some key assets that will continue to be preserved as best they can be.
“We don't live in museums. We live in thriving cities and one of the key things I think to see when you're investigating what truly is a thriving city is a city or a town that has retained its character. It's not cookie cutter," Sherrer said. "Retention of sites, properties, cityscapes and neighborhoods that are important to our story be maintained while being put to contemporary use."
As for Gibson’s, it will remain in Five Points and continue to sell its stationery while making other changes -- like the name -- to evolve with the community surrounding it.