Here are 10 new stores to shop in Fresno and Clovis, just in time for the holidays
Got holiday shopping left to do?
How about shopping at someplace new? A flurry of new stores have opened in Fresno and Clovis in recent months. Some are little mom-and-pop shops and some are big chains opening their first location in town.
Here’s a rundown of new store openings that you may have missed.
1. Happy House is a little shop at Palm and Bullard avenues selling lots of merchandise from local makers. It has gifts, art, home decor and kitchen items.
It opened about a month ago.
You can find the work of at least 15 local makers in the shop. That includes hand-drawn Fresno stickers and prints from Art by Elowyn and concrete and metal planters by Edward Albert Designs.
You’ll also find glassware, jewelry, candles, dishes and more.
Owner Marielle Parrish, a former Madewell store manager and a Bullard High grad, has a large dining room table in the center of the store, a tribute to her large family’s Sunday dinners. Hanging above it are wreaths that are for sale and changed out seasonally.
A survivor of domestic violence, Parrish sells items from several women getting out of similar situations, she said.
It’s “giving them a creative outlet to find joy in their lives, especially during a dark time,” she said.
Details: 6033 N. Palm Ave. in the Opus I shopping center. The store a bit tucked away. Look for it in the walkway between Top Drawer and Petunia’s Place. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, with expanded hours for the holidays.
2. Ammons Design & Home Decor is stuffed with all kinds of home decor and other goodies, ranging from giant antique pieces of furniture from the 1800s to wreaths, journals inscribed with scripture, and angels – so many angels.
The store, which opened in August at the southwest corner of Marks and Bullard avenues, sells new, vintage and antique items. Owner Keynan Ammons also does in-home decorating work, and seems to double as a best friend and therapist to many of his customers.
He refurbished all the chandeliers in the shop, repainting and rewiring them and replacing the crystals.
The store is currently all about Christmas, with lots of angel figurines, customizable wreaths and gift items like jewelry and local flavored honey.
Details: 3087 W. Bullard Ave. (559) 801-5163. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Sundays by appointment.
3. Five Below is a chain store where almost everything is $5 or less, which makes it a prime place for stocking stuffers. Younger and trendier than say, a Dollar General, you can find a little bit of everything: Electronics like headphones and chargers, journals, gloves, T-shirts, soft footballs and other sports equipment and lots of candy.
There’s also plenty of goofy items, like blankets shaped like pizza slices.
The first Five Below opened in September at Fashion Fair in the outdoor portion of the mall. The company is planning locations in River Park and the Marketplace at El Paseo near Herndon Avenue and Highway 99.
Details: 639 E. Shaw Ave., #107. (559) 400-0253. Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
4. Debbas Gourmet is a Fresno-based chocolate factory that has created chocolates for big-name brands like Target and Williams-Sonoma for years.
It doesn’t have its own local shop dedicated to selling its chocolates, but longtime Fresnans may remember seeing Debbas chocolates at local stores. You can also buy the chocolates online.
The company was getting so many phone calls inquiring about where to buy their chocolates in person, that the owners decided to set up an informal store for the holidays.
Take note, this is not a traditional store. It’s literally their front office. There are no fancy displays or ornate Christmas packaging, but mostly one-pound bags of whatever they happen to be making.
Most sell for $10, some for $15. They include several types of truffles, peanut-butter filled chocolates, pumpkin spice caramel-chocolate nut clusters and more.
Details: Debbas Gourmet is at 2794 N. Larkin Ave., though it may be a little challenging to find. It’s where Westover Avenue dead ends at Larkin, behind the building facing the street. Look for the beige building and a patio with lots of palm trees. Hours: The “shop” is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, through Dec. 20. (866) 332-2271.
5. blkmktplc. is a vintage store that has been holding temporary pop-up shops around Fresno. It now has a permanent location in the Tower District.
The shop features Pendleton shirts, classic Levis denim, cocktail dresses and fur jackets. All the handpicked items come from Neighborhood Thrift down the street.
The money customers spend goes to Neighborhood Industries and its workforce development program. It provides jobs, mental health services, tutoring, microloans for vehicles and financial literacy services.
Details: blkmktplc. is at 1525 E. Olive Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. Mondays by appointment only. 559-375-1933.
6. The Foundry is a popular shop in Old Town Clovis. It now has a temporary shop in Fig Garden Village for the holidays. It may be around even longer, but it’s undecided.
The locally-owned boutique is near Starbucks and features clothing, gift and home items. There are chunky sweaters and dresses, bath products, cookbooks and kitchen items. It also sells jewelry made by Fresno-based Make Pie Not War and others.
The Fig Garden store has a sizable kids and babies section. It includes tiny camouflage shoes and matching jackets, children’s books, stuffed animals and more.
This location has a few vintage items like ceramic trees.
Details: 708 W. Shaw Ave. Hours: Generally the store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. though the store closes later in the evening as Christmas approaches. (559) 761-5885.
7. Tagua (pronounced TOG-wa) has opened a fair trade shop in Old Town Clovis. This is the store that sells fair trade goods and also has a location in Fig Garden Village.
The merchandise is made by artisans in developing countries, who benefit from the sales. Many of the shop workers are volunteers.
The stores sells Christmas decorations, socks that give a percentage of sales to nonprofit causes, kids hats knitted to look like owls and other animals, baskets, clothing and more.
The store is temporary, but with the potential to be permanent.
Details: 435 Pollasky Ave. in the breezeway of the Dewitt building. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call the Fresno store at (559) 461-7462 for details.
8. Revival 23 already has stores in Old Town Clovis and Kingsburg. It opened its first Fresno location in late November. It’s at Copper and Maple avenues in north Fresno, in the same shopping center as the Field House restaurant.
“I brought literally all of my favorite things here,” said owner Teresa Pries.
The store carries jewelry, clothing and gifts.
Among the most popular are the Hobo line of wallets, purses and clutches. They range from $98 to $300.
Gift options include mugs that say things like “nurse” or “teacher.” Also popular are candles scented like coffee and vanilla bean, hand creams, face masks and bath salts.
Details: 2042 E. Copper Ave Suite # 108. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays and Mondays during the holidays. Call the Clovis store at (559) 593-5127.
9. bauble & thread is a store in Old Town Clovis carrying plenty of jewelry, along with clothing and other gifts.
The name bauble might be familiar to Clovis shoppers as both Revival 23 and The Foundry have carried that line of jewelry. Behind it is owner Tanya Demanty.
She decided to open her own store earlier this year, adding “& thread” to the name to reflect the clothing she carries.
In addition to the new clothing, you can also find used clothing here. Look for the neon sign that says “salvaged.” Underneath is clothing that Demanty’s daughter, in the Air Force in North Carolina, has selected. You’ll find clothing from high-end brands like Madewell, Anthropologie, Free People and more.
Demanty’s friend from high school also upcycles many of the shirts, especially plaid flannels, using bleach to toy with colors and give them an updated look.
The store has a huge jewelry selection, including popular thin metal bracelets stamped with words like “thrive,” “sisters,” and scripture.
Details: 429 Pollasky Ave. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays and Mondays. (559) 903-5231.
10. Big Lots isn’t new to Fresno, but if you haven’t been in one in the last year or so, you might be surprised to see how they’ve changed.
Most of the Fresno-area stores have moved into larger locations recently. They reopened with the store’s new format, leaving behind the junky, crowded feel of some stores for a more modern and organized store.
The stores carry plenty of gifts, like slippers, picture frames, kitchenware and chocolates. In addition to the discounted toys, towels, bedding and food Big Lots is known for, it also has a large home department selling wall art, mugs and more.
Big Lot has also expanded its furniture department, selling full-sized couches (some priced as low as $300), recliners, bed sets and mattresses. An appliance section sells vacuums and appliances like coffee makers and slow cookers.
Details: New stores are located at 3520 W. Shaw Ave., 7370 N. Blackstone Ave. and 4895 E. Kings Canyon Road in Fresno, and 1155 Shaw Ave. in Clovis. Big Lots stores with the new format are also in Reedley, Hanford, Visalia and Merced.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
