He said puawai meant "to blossom".
"I think it's the best place in town to set up a gallery and souvenir shop.
"I'm trying to cater for all of the market, not just the high end."
He said since he had been studying his craft and working in China in 2014 and 2015 he had made some valuable contacts and had been trained in different Chinese art forms that now also influenced his traditional Maori style.
"I studied under some master carvers over there doing bowl forms, animals, landscapes and human forms."
He said his new shop would have a small showroom where people could watch carvers at work as well as a gallery where carvers would display and sell their work.
"This place has a lot of foot traffic, even on Sundays there are hundreds of people walking past.
"I guess I'm a little bit nervous, but also excited."
Eat Streat Collective chairman Tamati Coffey said he welcomed the new business and hoped it was successful as it was on a prime site.
"A retail shop like Puawai Jade will increase the variety of reasons to visit our end of town and will no doubt increase foot traffic bringing a different kind of customer to Eat Streat."
Across town, Rotorua's Valentines Restaurant went into liquidation and was closed, with the loss of 22 jobs, in February.
The building's owner, Rotorua lawyer Richard Charter, said he wanted to make the building more up to date and modern and serve simple Kiwi-style meals with great coffee and reasonable prices.
However, he has since decided to sell the building and adjoining land.
Colliers International commercial sales and leasing agent Mark Rendell said the ex-Valentines site was on leasehold land owned by the Ngati Whakaue Education Endowment Trust which is leased in perpetuity.
Mr Rendell said the site did not have an asking price, just a deadline for inquiries, which will be December 8 at 4pm, unless sold prior.
