The California retailer, known for its foods and wines from around the world, as well as casual home and gift items, plans to reopen the same locations it vacated in Roseville and Bloomington about three years ago, the Pioneer Press reports. Cost Plus World Market closed all six of its Minnesota locations in 2009.

If you haven’t heard, Cost Plus World Market is back in town. You can expect the same unique, affordable mix of furniture, tableware, accessories, textiles, and food, but there is truly more to love this time around.

The California-based small-format grocery chain will open its sixth Minnesota store this fall in Bloomington, the Business Journal reports. It will be located at Southdale 494 Shopping Center, located at Interstate 494 and France Avenue.

Minneapolis sculptor Bill Mack will unveil Thursday his restoration of the "H" from the original Hollywood sign from California. Mack, who bought the remains of the original sign in 2006, has been working on the restoration of the "H" for the last four years. The piece will be displayed in Bloomington before it tours the rest of the world.

Organizers of the three-day event, that wraps up on Sunday, are expecting more than two thousand pop culture fans to spend part of their Labor Day weekend at Minnesota's first annual comic and sci-fi convention in Bloomington. Nicholas Brendon, best known for his role on all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and several Power Ranger stars are among the featured guests to attend the event.

An East Coast company says dozens of luxurious paintings, jewels, rugs and guitars are just some of the items that will be offered. The possessions were seized by federal authorities after Bernie Madoff was convicted of his multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. The Star Tribune reports the auction is in a Bloomington Hilton ballroom on Sunday.

A new report from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors says median home prices rose to nearly $180,000 in July, its highest percentage gain in eight years. The report says the 14.3 percent increase over last year's prices came as the number of homes on the market declined and higher-priced traditional sales rose.