Arts & Culture

Goldbug Collection Gives New Life to a Beloved Charleston Storefront

The playful, modern jewelry boutique has opened inside the original Croghan’s Jewel Box space on King Street

a gold jewelry display

Photo: courtesy of Goldbug Collection

Lowcountry-inspired jewelry from Goldbug Collection.

This summer, visitors and locals alike have a new reason to visit 308 King Street in Charleston, South Carolina: the opening of Goldbug Collection, a completely reimagined, colorful sliver of the space formerly occupied by Croghan’s Jewel Box, which moved in 2025 after occupying the iconic downtown storefront for generations. “When my family made the decision to move to a larger location a few blocks down on King Street, we knew we wanted part of the original location to stay in the family,” says Mini Hay Avant, the designer behind Goldbug Collection and great-granddaughter of Croghan’s founder William Joseph Croghan. “It’s been our second home for four generations and holds so many incredible memories, so it felt like a natural next step. I’m honored to carry the torch and introduce a new customer to the store.”

stairway
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Avant launched Goldbug in 2014 with a collection of Lowcountry-inspired charms (including Avant’s signature golden Palmetto silhouettes) and engraved pieces that brought a playful take on the family business to a modern audience.

a gold and blue display
Photo: courtesy of Goldbug Collection
A tray of charms.
goldbug earrings
Stayin’ Alive Post Earrings by Goldbug Collection ($100).

And now those beautiful bugs have a place to stretch their wings, thanks to the collaboration with interior designer Caitlin Dirkes, who helped Avant with the refresh. “The location was originally a Charleston single house, and the space where we have the shop now was actually a porch, so we had to get creative with such a long and narrow footprint. We kept the iconic clock on the floor when you first walked in and the old Croghan’s gold-painted sign on the front window,” Avant says. “At the same time, I wanted the space to feel like its own thing, not just a smaller version of Croghan’s. We brought in bold prints and textures from Schumacher, Blithfield, Palm Orleans and Thibaut, and leaned into color in a way that felt more playful and collected than anything we’d done before. We also took out the old L-shaped display counter entirely, which opened the whole room up. It was a big change, but it gave us the blank canvas we needed to allow for customers to roam around the store and see all of the collection up close.”

Mini Hay Avant
Photo: courtesy of Goldbug Collection
Mini Hay Avant.
jukebox
Photo: courtesy of Goldbug Collection
The restored jukebox.

The most notable change, however? The jukebox. “I’ve been hauling that thing from house to house for almost eighteen years, and it had been sitting outside on a porch for a while, so it needed some love,” Avant says. “Caitlin and her team helped bring it back to life by wrapping it in wallpaper and adding a Bluetooth speaker, and now it anchors the whole shop with this fun, unexpected personality.”

a jewelery store interior
Photo: courtesy of Goldbug Collection
Inside Goldbug Collection at 308 King Street.

The newest introductions to the Goldbug Collection include more beautiful bugs, and this fall, Avant’s team will roll out their annual holiday ornament. “We’re also working on special collaborations with fellow female-owned businesses that will be first for us in some new categories,” Avant says.

Follow along on Instagram here.


Haskell Harris is the founding style director at Garden & Gun. She joined the title in 2008 and covers all things design-focused for the magazine. The House Romantic: Curating Memorable Interiors for a Meaningful Life is her first book. Follow @haskellharris on Instagram.