After 6 years, cafe to open in Fresno water tower: ‘I believe in it that much’

It’s taken six years for Albee Sanchez to get to the point where Frida Café will be opening its doors in its new home.

He just needs a little help from the community to make it across the finish line.

Sanchez, the owner of Frida Cafe, launched a fundraiser July 10 to put the last touches on the interior of the Fresno water tower before the cafe opens this fall.

The Frida Cafe originally opened in Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant in downtown Fresno in September 2020. Sanchez said that even towards the end of 2020, he was looking for a more permanent place to run his business.

That’s when the city suggested the water tower.

“I remember thinking, ‘what of it? I’m looking for a space for a coffee shop,’” Sanchez said.

The water tower was built in 1894, and has been under the city’s purview since 1956. In the past few decades, tower maintenance has fallen low on the city’s priority list, and in order for a business to operate within the water tower, it needed serious renovations, including a new PG&E transformer, updated electrical panels, exterior lighting and other fixes.

The water tower was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In the past, the water tower has hosted the city’s visitor’s center, and Sanchez is glad that if nothing else the water tower has been restored.

He pointed to other historic locations in Fresno, like the Kearney Museum or the Brix Mansion, which often give tours or host events to raise money for restoration, cleaning and maintenance work.

“It becomes really hard (for historic places) to keep the doors open, and that’s what a coffee shop provides,” Sanchez said.

The city’s work on the water tower is done now, and the city council approved Frida Café’s lease of the space in a unanimous vote on June 4. That means the interior design choices, like the color patterns, equipment and seating can start.

To help make that happen, Sanchez started a fundraiser for $260,000.

He doesn’t expect to raise the entire amount, but every extra dollar will help the cafe start on a more even level. The money will go to paying employees a better starting wage, investing more in programming and opening with less debt.

It’s part of Sanchez’s strategy to create an “unrealistic” level of customer service.

“We are going to provide a level of service that does not exist in coffee,” Sanchez said. “This coffee shop will be an experience people return for.”

He is also putting his own future on the line: Sanchez is taking out a mortgage on his condo.

“If this venture goes south, I lose my place,” Sanchez said. “But I believe in it that much.”

He also believes in Fresno as a whole. Sanchez, who was born at Community Regional Medical Center and graduated from Clovis West High School in 2007, is dedicated to changing the perspectives Fresno residents have about their own city.

“This coffee shop is more than just an effort to make money for someone who doesn’t live here,” Sanchez said.

Amber Hair

The Fresno Bee

Amber Hair (they/them) is the food and restaurants reporter and influencer. Amber has been in professional journalism for more than a decade, writing for outlets like the Orlando Sentinel, The Villages Daily Sun, the Pacific Coast Business Times and others. In their spare time, they enjoy going to concerts, reading and spending time with their cats.