NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An East Nashville restaurant shuttered for nearly a year since a deadly tornado tore a path of destruction through Middle Tennessee will open its doors once again.

Boston Commons on Woodland Street in the Five Points neighborhood will welcome customers back Thursday after it was nearly destroyed in the tornado on March 3, 2020.

Owner Matt Charette told News 2 after the roller coaster year of 2020, the tornado actually feels like “forever ago” despite three of his businesses sustaining major damage.

Volunteers came out in droves to help with the cleanup process and Boston Commons is finally ready to serve the East Nashville community again with a soft opening set for Thursday night.

Charette said he hopes Nashville will never forget how the community came together.

“Right away I had people calling me, wanting to buy my property, wanting to rent the spaces, and I just wasn’t done here… I love my staff, we are very much like a family and they are very invested in what we do and their ability to serve our community through what we do, they are an important part of this, too,” explained Charette.

The transformation is incredible in Five Points, where just a year ago, homes and businesses were flattened, and that recovery is a credit to the community.

Charette remembers customers showed up in the early morning hours asking how to help. They boarded up windows and started the cleanup process immediately.

He said he’ll never be able to repay the community for the love and support it has demonstrated

“We’re just grateful to get back and serving our community. When the bombing happened downtown, it really struck me in a way that we should be serving our community. When things like this happen, where we as a community come together, that’s what we do we serve the community we give people a place to gather and talk about what’s going on in the world,” said Charette.

Boston Commons opens by reservation only Thursday at 7 p.m. Charette’s other establishments, Drifters and Beyond the Edge, are still undergoing renovations.