New Resident Starter Kit

Moving is a lot. This guide is here to cut the chaos — what to handle before you arrive, what to set up in week one, and which Columbia spots help the city start feeling like yours instead of just a place you ended up. Follow this and you’ll be settled faster than you’d figure it out on your own.

Before Move-In Day

Handle these a few days early and you’ll dodge the classic first-day problems. Small effort now,
much less chaos later.

Confirm your move-in logistics
Contact the VERVE leasing team ahead of time to lock in your arrival window, key or fob pickup,
and any guidance on parking or loading. These details matter more than they seem at 8 a.m. on
move-in day.

Pack a first-night box — and don’t skip this
Sheets, towel, shower curtain and rings, toiletries, phone charger, medications, paper towels,
trash bags, and a change of clothes. Pack it last so it comes off the truck first. Everything else
can wait; this box can’t.

Measure before you move furniture
Bed frame, desk, couch — check dimensions against your floor plan before move-in day.
Rearranging a sectional in a narrow doorway in August South Carolina heat is a completely
avoidable situation.

Update your shipping address early
Change your address with Amazon, your bank, and anywhere else that ships to you before your
move date. Deliveries that go to the wrong address during a move are a specific kind of
frustrating.

Pro tip: Download your VERVE floor plan and keep it accessible on move-in day. Knowing exactly which
wall you’re working with saves real time and prevents real arguments.

Utilities to Set Up

Check your lease first — some services may already be included or activated through VERVE.
For anything you’re handling yourself, these are the standard providers for the Columbia area.

Electric | Dominion Energy South Carolina
Water / Sewer / Stormwater | Columbia Water (City of Columbia)
Internet | AT&T Fiber and Spectrum both serve Columbia — availability varies by unit, so confirm
before you commit

Pro tip: Schedule utility activations for the day before you move in, not the day of. Moving without hot
water or Wi-Fi isn’t a personality-building experience. It’s just a bad Monday.

Parking and Getting Around

VERVE is right by USC, which means parking gets competitive during peak times. Sort out your
plan before move-in week — not during it.

USC Parking & Transportation
If you’ll be parking near campus, USC Parking & Transportation manages permits for campus
garages and lots, including the Blossom Street Garage (1300 Blossom St) and Greek Village
(800 Blossom St). Check their site for current permit options and availability.

Walking, biking, and rideshare
VERVE’s location near campus and downtown makes a car-light lifestyle genuinely realistic.
Most daily destinations — campus, Five Points, The Vista — are walkable or a short rideshare
away. Worth figuring out before you default to driving everywhere.

VERVE take: If your goal is to use your car less, VERVE’s location is one of the better setups in
Columbia for it. Daily life doesn’t require a car here the way it does at properties further from campus.

Week One Essentials

These are the things that feel optional until you need them at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday. Get
them early.

Wall mounting
Command hooks and removable adhesive strips are the move for renters. Grab a variety pack.
They handle most hanging needs without touching your deposit.

Power management
A surge protector for your desk and a power strip for the living room. You will run out of outlets
faster than you expect.

Basic cleaning kit
Multi-surface spray, paper towels, dish soap, and a sponge. Your apartment needs a wipe-down
before you move in, and you’ll want this on hand for week one.

Kitchen starters
One pan, one pot, one good knife, one cutting board. That covers the majority of what you’ll
cook in year one. Add trash bags and you’re set.

Small toolkit
A screwdriver set, tape measure, and scissors. A stud finder is worth adding if you plan to hang
anything heavier than a picture frame.

Use Your Amenities. For Real.

VERVE Columbia was built for student life — which means the amenities are actually designed
to be used, not just photographed. The first week is the best time to build the habits that stick.

Rooftop Pool and Courtyard
A legitimate outdoor space worth using from week one. Come up during the first weekend, even
just to get a feel for the vibe and meet people in the building.

24-Hour Fitness Center
No membership, no commute, no hours that don’t work for your schedule. If this becomes part
of your morning during week one, it tends to stay that way.

Wellness Suite
Built for the stretch, recovery, and mental reset side of staying healthy — the kind of space
that’s easy to overlook until midterms, and genuinely useful when they hit.

Co-Working + Private Study Rooms
When your apartment isn’t cutting it for focus, this is where you go. Quieter than a coffee shop
on deadline days, and available 24/7.

Golf Simulator + Clubroom Lounge
Social spaces that make it easy to meet neighbors without forcing it. Stop in during the first
week before everyone’s routines lock in.

Content Studio
A dedicated space for content creation — lighting, setup, and equipment included. Worth
exploring early if you’re building any kind of presence online.

Your First-Week Columbia Orientation

You don’t have to discover the city on your own. These are the easy first picks — the spots that
make Columbia start to feel like yours rather than somewhere you’re just living for a while.

Food Lion – Five Points | 1001 Harden St
Your closest grocery option. Start here for the everyday staples and figure out where you’ll go
for bigger trips once you’re settled.

Publix – Rosewood | 2800 Rosewood Dr
Worth the short drive for a full grocery run, better produce, and a solid prepared foods section.

Drip Coffee – Five Points | 729 Saluda Ave
A local favorite with the right energy for a morning study session or a slow start. This one has a
tendency to become a habit.

Cool Beans Coffee Co. | Downtown, near USC
A long-running local staple popular for caffeine and focus time. Good for rotation when you want
a change of scene.

Soda City Market | 1500 block of Main St
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., year-round. Go in your first week, even once, just to feel what
‘being a Columbia local’ actually means. Then make it a regular thing.

Blue Marlin | 1200 Lincoln St
Lowcountry food in a historic depot building in The Vista. Save it for when you want to actually
sit down for dinner — a good first-week reward after the chaos settles.

Motor Supply Co. Bistro | 920 Gervais St
A locally respected bistro with a seasonal menu. A step up from your everyday spots — good to
know about early even if you save it for the second or third week.

A Simple First-Week Game Plan

If you want a low-chaos ramp-up that actually works:
Days 1–2: Utilities confirmed, Wi-Fi active, first-night box unpacked, first grocery run done.
That’s a successful start.
Days 3–4: Unpack bedroom and kitchen first. These are the highest-ROI rooms — the ones
that make the apartment feel livable fastest.
Day 5: Pick one routine: a Drip coffee run, a fitness center session, or a study room block. One
habit, started on day five, tends to stick.
The Weekend: Soda City Market on Saturday morning, then a walk through Main Street and
The Vista. That one loop does more to make Columbia feel like home than anything else on this
list.

Pro tip: The first week sets a lot of defaults — your morning routine, your go-to coffee, your study
rhythm. It’s worth being deliberate about it instead of just letting inertia decide.

Ready to Make VERGE Home?

Talk to our leasing team about floor plans, availability, and what it actually looks like to live here.