Dozens of Fresno-area businesses have closed since March. Who shut down because of COVID?
At least 30 stores and restaurants have closed in Fresno since the coronavirus pandemic started.
Months of shutdowns, drops in spending by people who have lost jobs, and more people staying home to avoid catching COVID-19 have all put a dent in the local economy.
While some hardy entrepreneurs have opened new restaurants since the pandemic started – at least 30, as The Bee reported in a previous story – other small businesses have closed their doors.
A steady trickle of closures has also been reported on our food and business pages.
The closures can’t all be blamed solely on coronavirus. Many chain retailers, for example, were struggling long before the lockdowns this spring. The pandemic may have been the last straw.
And a few closures, particularly among chains with thousands of locations, are part of the normal churn of openings and closings of under-performing locations that would have closed even without a pandemic.
But COVID-19 is certainly a huge factor in the demise of many businesses.
Whatever the reason, here are the restaurants and stores that have closed since mid March, when Fresno’s shelter-in-place order started and the city really began feeling the effects of coronavirus.
We did not include businesses that have closed temporarily during the pandemic with hopes of reopening later.
Closures
Applebee’s at Herndon and Cedar avenues closed in July, but not because of the pandemic. The company said the decision to close was made beforehand. The building is up for sale.
Bocca Taqueria in the Tower District closed, its owner saying they got busy with the family’s other businesses. The business was bought by neighbor El Patio Mexican Restaurant, whose owner is planning a different concept there.
Bullard Pharmacy has transferred its pharmacy operations to a nearby CVS and will be closing its boutique and post office Jan. 1.
Catherines, a women’s plus-size store on on Shaw Avenue near Brawley Avenue, has closed. Its parent company filed for bankruptcy in July.
California Pizza Kitchen on north Blackstone Avenue closed on July 30. The bankrupt company tried to pivot to take-out and take-and-bake meals, but blamed the pandemic and “related lease challenges” with its landlord for its closure.
Cowboy Chicken closed its Fig Garden restaurant, along with its other two California locations. In a statement emailed by the company, it blamed uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and the state-mandated closure of indoor dining rooms this summer.
Downtown Deli, a new restaurant at Fresno and P streets, had the unfortunate timing of opening nine days into the city’s shelter-in-place order. The owner had hoped downtown workers would be customers, but many of them are still working from home and the restaurant closed in early November.
Full Circle Brewing Co. closed its Tower District craft beer taproom and entertainment venue on Van Ness Avenue, which most people knew as the former Club Fred or Audie’s Olympic Tavern. With the spring shut down and facing a future of restrictions on crowd size, the owners decided to close rather than continue paying rent and utilities.
The original brewery is alive and open, making and selling beer to-go from its 620 F St. location.
High Sierra Grill & Bar was closed for five months before the owner decided to close the restaurant permanently in September. Rent and power bills kept piling up and the restaurant, at Bullard and West avenues, didn’t have any appropriate space for patio when restaurants were allowed to do only outdoor dining, the owner said.
Hye Quality Bakery downtown is in the process of closing. The Armenian bakery has been around for 63 years.
Justice, the tween clothing retailer has closed its stores at Fashion Fair, River Park, and the Tulare Outlets. The stores’ parent company filed for bankruptcy in July.
K-bop Korean rice bar was something different for Fresno, a build-your-own rice bowl place specializing in bibimbap. It opened Jan. 2 at the northwest corner of Nees and Willow avenues, but has since closed.
Kebab Express in Fig Garden Village closed months ago. The owners could not be reached for comment at the time, so we don’t know why exactly the restaurant closed or how much the pandemic played into its decision.
Kirkland’s, a home decor store, closed its location at The Marketplace at El Paseo, near Highway 99 and Herndon Avenue in July. Slow foot traffic and the pandemic combined to cause the closure. Kirkland’s stores in Clovis and north Blackstone Avenue are still open.
Lane Bryant, a popular plus-size clothing store, is closing some of its stores after its parent company filed for bankruptcy. The company was struggling before the pandemic, but pandemic-related shutdowns appear to have finished it off. The stores at Shaw Avenue and First Street in Fresno, and the Tulare Outlets have closed. The store in the Villaggio shopping center on Blackstone Avenue and the Visalia location are still open.
New York & Co. closed all its stores this summer after filing for bankruptcy. Stores at Fashion Fair, Sierra Vista Mall and Merced Mall have closed.
Pep Boys in downtown Fresno closed after 72 years, its closure planned before the pandemic hit. The neon sign was removed, with plans to preserve it, a spokeswoman said.
Pier 1 filed for bankruptcy and closed all its 540 stores, including locations in Fresno and Clovis. The Clovis location will be replaced with a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant.
Rocket Dog Gourmet Brats & Brew closed its Clovis location, blaming coronavirus restrictions and its lack of patio. Its Fresno restaurant remains open and it has started a food truck.
Rocky Hill Brewing Grill & Tavern, a Tower District restaurant that opened in February, announced it was closing in October. COVID was a factor, but not the only one. The brewery it’s named for in Exeter closed about a month later.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill in River Park announced it was closing March 20, permanently. It did not say why.
Starbucks in the Tower District closed permanently in May, saying only that the company continually evaluates its stores to ensure a healthy operation.
Stein Mart closed all its stores, including the one on West Shaw Avenue and the Clovis location. The retailer was struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic, which added to its troubles.
Sur La Table, the kitchen store in River Park, has closed. It was one of 50 stores the chain closed after filing for bankruptcy.
SWATCHES Yarn Studio at Bullard and West avenues closed citing several reasons, including the pandemic as the last straw.
Sweet Tomatoes announced the closure of all its restaurants in May. A buffet restaurant where people share utensils and often stand closer than 6 feet from each other, it faced particular challenges in reopening as the coronavirus pandemic ensued.
Top Drawer, the boutique selling Vera Bradley bags and other gifts at Palm and Bullard avenues, is still open, but is in the process of closing. The pandemic had “nothing” to do with the closure and the lease is up.
Tower Sushi was on a month-to-month lease when its building was bought by a new owner. The space is being taken over by bar and restaurant Vibez Lounge. The owner of Tower Sushi has opened L’Aperitif Bistro Fusion selling international food in northeast Fresno.
Tuesday Morning closed its stores in Fresno and Visalia after filing for bankruptcy, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yoshino Japanese Restaurant in River Park closed over the summer, but its location at 6226 N. Blackstone Ave., remains open. Its lease had expired.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 9:54 AM.
