The boards came down from the windows of the former Phuoc Loc Tho jewelry store at 2515 Nicollet Ave. on June 1 for the soft opening of a new thrift shop. The store was boarded up during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd and never reopened.

The new shop, tentatively called Butterfly, was stocked with unsold goods from Target, used clothing, and statues left over from the previous tenant. Owner Krista has been reselling items on her own for a decade, but always wanted to open a brick-and-mortar shop in the city. The garden in front of the shop is blooming with colorful flowers she planted in addition to the Bonsai trees that she inherited from the previous owners.

The statutes that were displayed in Phuoc Loc Tho's windows remain in the store front. Photo by Anna Koenning.

“I want to be able to provide nice things to people who can’t afford it,” Krista said, wearing little butterfly earrings at the soft opening.

She aims to have a grand opening in a month.

The building has been owned by TTP Nicollet, LLC since 2000, when it was bought for $115,00. The current market value, according to Hennepin County, is $1.2 million.