A charm jewelry brand out of Greenville has planted its first permanent Columbia storefront in Five Points. The Traveling Penny opened at 745 Saluda Ave. on October 21, offering a charm bar where customers can design their own necklaces and bracelets using charms.
The brand describes itself as a Greenville-based custom jewelry company offering permanent, custom-made and design-your-own pieces, according to the Post and Courier. On its own website, the company calls the Five Points shop its newest location, telling customers to “Visit our newest shop located in Five Points, the heart of Columbia,” according to thetravelingpenny.com. The same page invites shoppers to “explore our charm bar, personalize meaningful pieces with on-site engraving, and treat yourself to permanent jewelry.”
The process is simple by design. Per thetravelingpenny.com, the idea is: “Pick your chain, choose your charms, and we’ll assemble it for you on the spot.” The storefront brings the brand’s charm-bar concept to Five Points.
A Gather COLA Plan
Gather COLA, where The Traveling Penny was slated to open another location this spring, opened in December 2025 with outdoor dining options, three retail spaces and two bars, the Post and Courier's business desk reported in earlier coverage.
The planned food-hall location was to offer a full charm bar and personalized jewelry, including bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
A Changing Block on Saluda Avenue
The new store joins the retail mix in Five Points. The block has seen turnover recently: Godspeed Coffee opened a Five Points location in April, and Slip 53 restaurant opened in the neighborhood in September.
The Traveling Penny's Five Points store keeps regular weekly hours: it is closed Monday and open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the company's website. Friday and Saturday hours run longer, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with Sunday hours listed as 11 p.m. to 6 p.m., per the same website. The company also offers custom jewelry online, according to its website.
Built From Coin Jewelry and College Side Hustle
The business traces back to 2016, when Zachery Snow and his wife, Tiffany Scott, created The Traveling Penny while they were still in college. At the time, the pair sold coin jewelry and brought the concept to markets and other in-person events before shifting the business online, Snow told the Post and Courier in earlier reporting.
The Traveling Penny eventually returned to in-person vending with a mobile mini-truck charm bar that now travels across South Carolina for events such as the Flowertown Festival. Snow told the paper in 2025 that the business has 10 different necklace chains and 300 different charms, and that it can custom engrave pieces on the spot, including custom handwriting. “We have 10 different necklace chains and 300 different charms, plus we can custom engrave on the spot,” Snow said.
The brand's flagship store remains in downtown Greenville, according to thetravelingpenny.com. With the Five Points opening, The Traveling Penny now has a foothold in two South Carolina downtowns, built from a college coin-jewelry side project into a storefront business with a mobile charm bar on the road.
