These are the biggest Fresno-area closures of 2019, from stores to restaurants
Put all the Fresno-area stores and restaurants that closed in 2019 in one place and it’s a little shocking.
There’s a lot of them.
But there’s not nearly as many closures as 2017 when a huge wave of bankruptcies nationwide led to multiple retail giants and restaurants to close their doors.
Some of 2019’s closures hit hard, though. It’s tough to imagine Fresno without a Chicken Pie Shop. Fig Garden Village lost four retailers. Marie Callender’s closures took many by surprise. And Hooters’ eviction and closure? Well, we’ll leave you to your opinions on that one.
Not every closure says something about Fresno’s economic health. Plenty of places close even in booming economic times because owners want to retire, for example.
And it’s worth noting that many of these closed stores and restaurants already have new places moving in. We’ve noted what’s next when possible.
The closures
Anne’s Hallmark Shop in Fig Garden Village closed early in 2019 and has been replaced with fair trade store Tagua.
Aporjon Leather & Luggage closed after 49 years in Fig Garden Village. Owner Craig Pokorny retired.
Baja Fresh, the quick-service Mexican restaurant on North Blackstone Avenue, closed due to the franchisee’s decision, according to the company. The new-to-Fresno national chain MOD Pizza has opened in its place.
The Bottleneck Bistro on Clovis Avenue closed in late June.
BurgerIM opened two restaurants serving tiny burgers in Fresno in mid-2018. By fall, the one at Clovis Avenue and Kings Canyon had closed. Fatburger is planning to open there.
Carrows Restaurants closed its location on Clovis Avenue, just south of Shaw Avenue, much to the chagrin of regulars. After a remodel, breakfast and lunch spot Huckleberry’s opened in the spot.
CHARburger in downtown Fresno closed in March. It’s been replaced with the BoxCar Cafe. If you’re missing the food from CHARburger or its Visalia counterpart, Char, you can get the owner’s John Truffolta sandwich and other food from her delivery-only business, Kitchenette in Visalia, via DoorDash.
Charming Charlie, the jewelry and accessories store in the outdoor portion of Fashion Fair, closed abruptly in June. A Five Below discount store opened shortly after in its place.
Dai Bai Dang closed this summer, after its owner retired and it was sold to a different restaurateur. It has since reopened as Spicy J’s Specialty Chinese Cuisine.
Dressbarn, a women’s clothing store, is closing all its stores after more than 50 years in business. The River Park location has already closed and the Clovis store closes Dec. 26.
Firehouse Subs closed its restaurant at Herndon and Fowler avenues in Clovis, but the location at Blackstone and Nees avenues in Fresno is still open.
Fogo Caliente International Steakhouse closed its restaurant at 836 Pollasky Ave., just south of Old Town Clovis.
Fresh Bite, a salad restaurant in the T.W. Patterson building on Fulton Street, has closed after opening in May.
Grandmarie’s Chicken Pie Shop, the iconic Tower District restaurant, closed after 73 years in business and was perhaps the most mourned restaurant of the year. The owner, in his 70s, was tired and wanted to spend time with his grandchildren, according to a waitress who worked there for 39 years.
Gymboree closed all its stores in the area, including the one in Fashion Fair, after filing for bankruptcy twice in three years.
Hooters of Fresno, home of skimpy tank tops and chicken wings, was evicted from its North Blackstone Avenue restaurant after accumulating more than $30,000 in unpaid rent. Seafood restaurant Shell Shock is scheduled to take over the spot.
HoP PK – a downtown gastropub that was a partnership between brewery House of Pendragon and the owner of Visalia’s Pita Kabob – opened to crowds in early 2017. But the partners went their separate ways and keeping the restaurant alive didn’t pencil out.
Imperial Pizzazz, a Persian-Italian-American restaurant, opened on New Year’s Eve last year at 1140 N. Van Ness Ave. on the corner of Olive Avenue. It closed not much later, but the spot is in the process of being turned into a Rocky Hill Brewing taproom.
J. Crew closed its Fig Garden Village store in January. The chain has closed dozens of stores as it deals with slipping sales.
Just the Tip, the restaurant on Fulton Street specializing in smoked meats, closed over the summer. The owner blamed rising rent and panhandlers.
Le Parisien Cafe at 1085 E. Herndon Ave. closed in February after its owners sold the business to The Brioche Lady, who now runs the cafe under that name. Note that the Le Parisien Cafe & Bakery at Palm and Nees avenues and the Parisien Bakery in Clovis are separately owned and still open.
LifeWay closed all its 170 Christian stores, including the one on Blackstone Avenue, as it switched to an online-only business.
KoJa Kitchen, a Bay Area franchise that blended Korean and Japanese food at Palm and Nees avenues, closed midway through the year. It’s already been replaced with Kikku Kitchen, which is a second location for downtown Japanese eatery Kikku Japanese Food.
Mabel’s Kitchen isn’t serving paninis inside the Bitwise Industries building downtown anymore, but is planning to reopen inside the Jack’s Car Wash. USBean and Break Bread are now operating inside Bitwise.
MANTRA, which sold workout wear and casual clothing in River Park, closed in November. You can still find some of its clothing at Pum Bum Society, also in River Park, which has the same owner.
Marie Callender’s abruptly closed both its Fresno restaurants in August. The closures were part of a bankruptcy that led to 19 closures nationwide.
Mr. Sushi No. 2, at Willow and Nees avenues, was evicted in early November.
New China at Fulton and San Joaquin streets downtown has been closed for weeks.
Payless Shoesource dribbled out store closures here and there around the Valley for years. In February, it finally decided to close all its stores in the U.S.
Plaza Ventana, the Mexican restaurant near Blackstone and Shaw avenues, closed in March. Los Amigos at Shaw and West is preparing to move to the spot. This is after the other Plaza Ventana at West Shaw and Feland avenues closed in 2018 and was replaced by Sabores Mexican Cocina & Tequila Bar.
Starbucks at Cedar and Shepherd avenues closed in late March. Its lease had expired and locally owned coffee house Kuppa Joy took over the space, opening its new Kuppa Joy Grand Cafe in early December.
Sweet Delicates, the little bakery on Bullard Avenue in Clovis, has closed.
The Tasting Room, the wine bar at Palm and Nees avenues, has closed, but Beyond the Wine is in the process of taking it over.
Things Remembered, known for engraving messages on just about anything, closed stores at Sierra Vista Mall and Visalia Mall, but the Fashion Fair store remains open.
Toledo’s Mexican Restaurant closed its North Blackstone Avenue restaurant with the famous patio in May. The Bee captured video of it being torn down in September. But it’s not officially dead, as the owners plan to reopen the restaurant at Cedar and Nees avenues later this year.
Tree of Life Cafe at Blackstone and Herndon avenues, the restaurant that hired grads of drug and alcohol programs, closed in June. The social enterprise/restaurant had moved there from downtown.
The Vintage Market @ 601 at Shaw and Wishon avenues closed in September, but many of the same vendors are selling their merchandise at Chesterfield’s Antiques and Consignment near Shaw and Blackstone avenues.
Walgreens at Willow and Herndon avenues closed in early November, part of a plan to close 200 locations nationwide.
We Olive, the little olive oil shop in Fig Garden Village, closed in January. Out of the Barrel Taproom, which has a location in the Bay Area, is working on opening in the space.
Bethany Clough: (559) 441-6431, @BethanyClough
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 6:30 AM.
