E-wood Snapshot:
Erik Rutherford

Erik Rutherford is a fourth generation Columbian, who now is growing his family and his business from Earlewood.

Erik is married to Tiaa Booker Rutherford. Tiaa is a neighborhood planner for Richland County and also chairs the City of Columbia’s Planning Commission. They have a wonderfully energetic daughter, Nina, who is a third grader at Logan ElementarySchool. Their other family member is Omar, a beagle.

Erik has a prospering Allstate Insurance Agency on North Main Street. It is a multi-cultural agency that can handle insurance requests for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking customers. He was a founding advertiser in the Earlewood newsletter.

We asked Erik a few questions about Earlewood.

How long have you have lived in Earlewood? Tiaa and I have lived in Earlewood since 2000. We enjoy living so close to downtown Columbia.

How has the neighborhood changed during that time? I’ve seen more families with young children move into Earlewood. The number of young professionals living in Earlewood has also increased. I think more people have “discovered” Earlewood over the past 10 years and know it is a great downtown neighborhood.

Why did you decide to locate your business on North Main and what do you hope to see happen on North Main? I enjoy having my insurance agency so close to my home and also near Logan Elementary where Nina goes to school. Once the North Main Streetscaping Project is completed I hope to see more small businesses move there. It would be great to have some restaurants and shops on North Main.

Why do you like living in Earlewood? Earlewood has wonderful parks and great neighbors. We like the mature tree cover in our neighborhood and older houses with architectural details like transom windows, hardwood floors and glass door knobs. I also like living in a community that has been designated a historic neighborhood.

What improvements do you hope to see in Earlewood? I would like to see higher enrollment at Logan and more young families in our neighborhood. I would also like to see more activities in Earlewood Park such as festivals and music in the amphitheater.