It was Columbia's first neighborhood shopping district, named for the intersection of Harden Street, Devine Street, and Santee Avenue. It was home to Columbia's first supermarket[2] (an A & P), first Chinese restaurant[2] (Kester’s Bamboo House), and the first bar in South Carolina to serve a cocktail[2] (the Stage Door, which claimed to sell the state's first legal mixed drink after the South Carolina General Assembly approved the use of minibottles in 1973).
When streetcars were prevalent, Five Points was a hub (rotating circle) for moving between downtown Columbia and the residential area of Shandon.[citation needed]