Michelle Chocolatiers & Ice Cream, an iconic and longtime loved institution in downtown Colorado Springs, is going to get a rebirth.

Over the decades until 2007, Valentine’s Day and Easter were made special with chocolate hearts, ribbon candy and homemade ice cream. The treats were unique to Michelle’s and people lined up outside the store at 122 N. Tejon St. to get their favorites.

Michelle’s was founded by Lois and John Michopoulos, as a candy shop in 1952. It moved to Tejon in 1954. The IRS took the building in a voluntary seizure in 2007 to satisfy a federal tax lien, according to previous reporting in The Gazette.

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The new owners, MaryAnn and Chuck Thomas, who also own Munchies719 food truck, signed a lease with Boulder-based Kamala Ghimire, who has owned the Tejon building since 2010 and are looking to open in October.

“When we signed the lease, she asked if we wanted to use the sign,” Chuck said, who with his wife grew up in Colorado Springs. “Not only did we want the sign, we wanted to repair it and bring back to life the nostalgic feel of the building. We are adding ‘Got Munchies’ in neon below the name, Michelle, where the old wood sign was located.

“As a kid, I loved it downtown and that’s why we wanted to be in that iconic building. We are very excited and hope to be ready to open around Halloween.”

Make no mistake: The couple is not bringing back the chocolate and candies that were so popular over the golden years of Michelle’s.

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“We are not chocolatiers,” Chuck said, “It will be a full restaurant with liquor license, and ice cream with our recipe. There will be pastry cases in the front of the store to pay homage to the old Michelle’s retail business.

“We’re looking for old menus and would like to duplicate a few of the dishes from the past, like the Monte Cristo sandwich, French dip and chicken salad on a croissant. We will have desserts and drinks featured every evening, which will be one of our drawing points for after-9 p.m. business.”

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As for the interior, they are going to bring back the teal blue and pink color theme and use the original brass light fixtures they found in the basement.

To keep up with the progress of the project, there will be Facebook and Instagram pages soon for Michelle Got Munchies, which will be linked to Munchies719.