A prime Fresno restaurant space finally gets a new tenant. It’s moving from River Park
After sitting empty for seven years, the former Daily Grill restaurant in Fresno is finally getting a new renter — but it’s not another restaurant.
An official Rolex dealership and high-end jewelry store, Wickersham Company, is moving into the large building at the northwest corner of Palm and Nees avenues in the Park Place shopping center. It’s the same center as Eureka! restaurant and the busy Gb3 gym.
Many Fresnans have been wondering what’s happening with the large, high-profile restaurant spot since the neon green Daily Grill sign came down recently. It’s been the subject of two Reddit.com posts and a Next Door post asking who is moving in as construction workers get to work on the building.
Why not a restaurant?
Said one commenter: “It’d be a shame if Daily Grill was anything else other than a restaurant.”
But John Tutelian, part of the company that owns the center, Tutelian & Co., said he reached out to major restaurateurs in town, including the owners of Pismo’s Coastal Grill and Saizon.
“There was kind of a common theme: Nobody wants to compete with George Brown for parking, and this was an opportunity to fill a space that has a very limited parking requirement.”
The Gb3 gym, created by George Brown, is hugely popular.
Rolex in Fresno?
Wickersham Company is moving from the spot it had in River Park for 12 years, between Panera Bread and REI.
The move is also an expansion, with the business growing from 2,500 square feet in River Park to 7,000 square feet in Park Place.
Although some people might not think the words “Fresno” and “luxury” belong in the same sentence, the area has enough people with the buying power to drive the expansion, said Wickersham Company owner and president John Abrams.
They include people in farming, manufacturing, industrial and other professions, he said.
“There’s a very sophisticated and high-income portion of the Fresno market,” he said. “The market in Fresno has grown tremendously since we first got there 12 years ago.”
In the past, people went out of town to buy high-end brands, he said. Wickersham draws from all over the Valley.
“We’re building essentially the most luxurious jewelry store in Fresno,” he said.
The outside of the building will look quite different. Tile and limestone will echo the “Rolex wave” design that appears on many watches.
The store will have full-time security. Customers must ring a bell to enter, and will be treated to a boutique experience, with refreshments and comfortable seating.
The store is schedule to open in January.
Rolex stores in some prime markets are closing due to safety issues, but Tutelian said Fresno law enforcement has kept the city safe enough for a store here.
“It’s a big step forward,” he said. “The fact that Fresno is getting a 7,000-square-foot store, it’s a reflection of an underserved market and the demand that’s here that’s always been overlooked.”
