Five new stores and restaurants opened last weekend in Fresno and Clovis. Here’s a look
Last weekend was a busy one on the Fresno-Clovis business scene, with five new stores and restaurants celebrating their openings.
They’re spread out all over the area and include everything from $1 pastries to high-end furniture.
There are places to shop, like a new thrift shop and a locally owned home decor store in a new shopping center in northeast Fresno.
And there are several new places to get something to eat or drink, including an Armenian bakery, a brewery, and a boba tea shop that also serves ice cream.
Here’s a look at the new businesses.
Araz Bakery
A new Armenian bakery specializing in lahmajune, cheese borek and other pastries and breakfast food opened Saturday in northeast Fresno. It’s behind Outback Steakhouse at the southeast corner of Shaw and Marks avenues.
Araz Bakery sells Armenian favorites, like cheese borek, a triangle-shaped pastry with cheese inside that sells for $2.50.
A bigger, more spicy version sells for $5.
Of course, lahmajune is on the menu too, notes Narek Agadzhanyan, who opened the bakery with his uncle Varuzh Agadzhanyan.
“I just call it an Armenian pizza,” he said.
It’s thin, flat dough, with beef spread atop it.
“We make sure the dough is perfectly flattened and the meat is spread out evenly so you don’t have too much bread or too much beef,” he said.
Several other kinds of pastries are on the menu, along with breakfast food.
A popular breakfast option? Ajarakan, sometimes called an egg boat. It’s boat-shaped bread that holds two eggs and cheese, lightly cooked so you can dip the dough in the gooey mixture.
“We have these meals in our DNA,” said Agadzhanyan, noting that his uncle grew up in Armenia. “His mother in Armenia knew how to cook lahmajune very well. She was the best in her town.”
The bakery name, Araz, is a reference to a river in Armenia.
Details: Araz Bakery is at 2767 W. Shaw Ave. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. 559-375-1202.
Boba Fresh
Boba Fresh Boba & Rolled Ice Cream in Clovis specializes in exactly what its name says – boba tea and rolled ice cream.
It’s on Shaw Avenue near Willow Avenue, in the same building as Jus’ Jo’s Country Kitchen. It took over the spot that Rushour left behind when it closed.
Unlike some other boba shops (sometimes called bubble tea for the chewy round balls of tapioca in the drinks), this place doesn’t have a giant menu.
“Because we use real fresh ingredients we have a limited menu,” said Dang Xiong, who owns the business with Xai Vue.
Take the taro drink, for example. At most shops, taro milk tea has a bright purple pastel color.
Here, they use actual taro, the root vegetable, which has a more muted lavender or almost gray color. They use real fruit juice, no syrups and whatever fruit or vegetables are in season.
And not everything is tea based. Several drinks combine fresh fruit with oat milk or half-and-half, geared toward kids, or people who don’t want caffeine.
The strawberry shortcake milk is a top seller. It’s made with a strawberry puree with half-and-half and vanilla cream.
It’s a similar story with the rolled ice cream. Flavors range from brown sugar boba to very vanilla.
It’s all prepared in front of the customer on a freezing metal slab, worked with spatulas until the liquids and mix-ins turn into ice cream.
Details: Boba Fresh is at 701 W. Shaw Ave., Clovis. Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. daily. 559-472-0304.
Mint Thrift
A new high-end style thrift shop with a cause opened in northwest Fresno last weekend too.
Mint Thrift is on Marty Avenue, just south of Shaw Avenue and Chili’s Grill & Bar.
It’s got all the regular thrift shop departments: clothing, shoes, household goods, jewelry, furniture, etc.
But it’s got a bit of an upscale vibe. The mint in the name refers to items in mint condition, said Megan Wright, the store’s volunteer coordinator.
“The vision for it is that boutique style, almost like an Anthropologie feel, a beautiful space but with Goodwill prices,” she said.
Mint Thrift is run by a nonprofit organization, the Acts Foundation, which is connected to LifeBridge Community Church. They started doing grocery giveaways and grocery deliveries to senior citizens at the beginning of the pandemic. They’ve since fed 55,000 people.
The thrift shop is meant to fund that and other “compassion work” like bike giveaways for kids.
Mint Thrift is accepting donations from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and looking for volunteers to work at the shop.
Wright said they are looking for “items that are in mint condition, not just things that are torn or stained and just thrown on the rack. We want to display it really well and have high quality items.”
Details: Mint Thrift is at 4798 N Marty Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Revival 23
Revival 23 opened on the edge of Fresno and Clovis in the new shopping center The Row at Heritage Grove.
At the corner of Willow and Shepherd avenues, its the first new business opening in the center, which will soon be home to more restaurants and other businesses.
The locally-owned store also has a location in Old Town Clovis. The new location is focused on home decor, and carries furniture, gift and decor items.
There are throw pillows, dishes and all kinds of items to decorate a table.
Customers can also special order rugs, drapes, furniture, wallpaper and hardware like knobs and house numbers.
The store also has the clothing that Revival 23 is known for, including bohemian-style dresses, trendy jackets and Gigi Pip hats.
The store’s dressing rooms have been making the rounds of social media, with lighting that customers can change by pressing a square on the mirror.
Details: Revival 23 is at 2888 E. Shepherd Ave., suite 103, Fresno. Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
Summer Fox Brewing Co.
Formerly called Amalgamation, this Fresno brewery has changed its name and opened a second location.
The new spot opened Friday in Clovis, on Clovis Avenue, north of Gettysburg Avenue. It’s in the same shopping center as Valley Rod & Gun.
It has 24 taps serving Summer Fox’s beer and craft beer from other nearby breweries. Award-winning beers include its Llamas in the Fog milkshake IPA and its red ale.
It also serves wine, pizza, flatbreads and has a family friendly atmosphere.
Its original location at 6585 North Santa Fe Avenue remains open.
Details: The new Summer Fox Brewing location is at 2700 Clovis Ave. in Clovis. Hours: Noon to 7 p.m. Sundays, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and noon to 11 p.m. Saturdays. 559-353-2226.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 10:29 AM.
