Bill Roberson owns Classical Glass on North Main Street.Bill Roberson and his wife, Hi, have lived in Earlewood for 20 years. So it was no surprise when Bill moved his business, Classical Glass, from Millwood to North Main in 2001 instead of going to Rosewood or The Vista. He already knew that the area near where he lived had the most potential.Bill always has been a creative person. He grew up in North Carolina and was graduated from East Carolina University. He went on to receive his Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of Alabama. He has been a professional actor for more than 30 years, appearing in 18 feature films. Those films include some of the best, including Forest Gump, Patch Adams, The Patriot, Leatherheads and Radio. He is often recognized around town from appearing in the Riverbanks Zoo commercials where he sings “Wild Thing.”
Classical Glass, meanwhile, has become recognized across the country for its quality and creativity. In addition to making stained glass doors and windows for residential and commercial structures, Bill has made more than 4,000 windows for churches throughout the Southeast. In 2005, Bill was selected to make stained glass windows for the 9/11 Memorial windows at Fort Jackson. He also made the stained glass windows for the chapel at Shaw Air Force Base.
Bill is a charter member of the North Columbia Business Association. He and Hi live on Clark Street with their two Siamese cats, Thunder and Lightning.
What do you like most about living in Earlewood?
Earlewood is a real neighborhood. People know their neighbors and there is a good feeling of community. I like that there is so much diversity ‐ students, professionals, young and old. Everyone is accepted in Earlewood. I also like that we have such a large park ‐ Earlewood Park ‐ in the center of our neighborhood.
What makes Earlewood distinct?
I like that there is so much wildlife in Earlewood. It is hard to believe Earlewood is in the heart of Columbia. I’ve seen deer, red tailed hawks, foxes and woodpeckers. And there are so many species of birds. Most of these critters live in Earlewood Park, especially the wooded area on Smith Creek that runs from North Main to Sunset.
What is the biggest challenge facing Earlewood?
Attracting bars and restaurants to North Main. I think the residents of the downtown neighborhoods would support entertainment establishments that we could walk to. I hope that once the work on North Main is completed this will happen.
What change have you noticed in recent years?
It’s great to see more couples with babies and young children living here. I hope that Logan and St. Andrews will continue to improve so couples won’t feel like they have to move because the schools aren’t good enough.
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 Elementary School. 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.
There is nothing shy and retiring about Rebecca Spratlin – especially when it comes to animals and the environment.As a result, Rebecca has become an Earlewood advocate, taking the lead in our effort to create a dog park at the entrance to Earlewood at River Drive.Rebecca and her husband, Martin, grew up in the Atlanta area. Martin is an assistant solicitor for Sumter County. Rebecca works at the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Bureau of Water where she is the Watershed Manager for the Saluda and Savannah River Basins.The Spratlins already have quite a family.