Stephan Cori adds second Fresno clothing store

Longtime women’s clothing store Stephan Cori has opened a new store in Fresno.

The high-end store has two Carmel locations, and it now has two stores in Fresno: A new one that opened this summer in the Villaggio shopping center on north Blackstone Avenue near California Pizza Kitchen, and a store at Pavilion West shopping center at Bullard and West avenues.

Stephan Cori has a 28-year history in Fresno (you may remember it from the years it spent at Fig Garden Village). Owner Stephanie Meyer says she opened a second store to better reach people in other parts of the city.

The new location has a relaxed coastal vibe with lots of light-colored clothing in beige and peach for summer. It caters to women 30 and older, “but there’s something for everyone,” Meyer says.

Simple shift dresses in white and beige range from $99 to $119, along with paisley tops and pink scarves.

The store carries the Arlene Palmer line of chunky jewelry, with big beads and pendants. Palmer is a Bay Area artist who travels around the world to find semi-precious stones and turns them into necklaces.

The store is in the process of transitioning to its fall clothing. That will include lots of scarves and other fashions.

“It’s a beautiful season – lots of pretty color, wide-legged pants, in addition to skinny,” she says.

Meyer says she tries to find looks that you can’t find at department stores.

“I go to markets all over Europe and New York just to try to find the most unique apparel,” she says.

The stores are also big on charity, carrying jewelry lines that give 25% of the purchase back to organizations in Third World countries that focus on clean water, for example.

Also, each month the stores gives the profits from a particular day to a different charity.

“I really encourage them to reach out to me,” Meyer says.

Autism Inc.

When German Cervantes last showed up in this column, he was selling T-shirts by special order to raise awareness of autism.

Now, he has a new T-shirt design and is selling online at Etsy.com under the name Cervantes Autism Inc. Cervantes, who turns 21 Sunday, is a Reedley College student from Dinuba who has autism.

“I wanted to inspire autistic children and parents that live with autism so that they could feel that there’s hope for everybody,” he says.

The new T-shirt design was drawn by his sister, Maricruz Cervantes, 26. It features the multi-color autism ribbon on a shield with wings.

Wings because, as Cervantes puts it, people with autism “are God’s angels that came down from heaven, special little angels.”

Both that shirt and a earlier design sell for $22.

Cervantes Autism Inc. is a start-up company, a clothing brand with the mission of raising autism awareness. For now Cervantes is putting the money he makes back into the business, but he hopes to one day donate the profits to groups that support people with autism and their families.

He’s also sending out free T-shirts to celebrities – everyone from Kim Kardashian to President Obama. He hopes they’ll help him raise awareness of autism, and maybe give him a little business or fashion advice too.

Macy’s

Macy’s at Fashion Fair is hosting Macy’s Presents Fashion’s Front Row, a fashion show with all kinds of other activities, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26.

The event is free and features a fashion show in the women’s department on the store’s second floor. Local blogger Flannery Good of FashionTweaker.com will host the event.

Also on tap that day: Mini beauty makeovers from Lancôme, manicures from OPI and an American Express selfie station. Stylists will be available to help customers find outfits and gifts.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 4:01 AM with the headline "Stephan Cori adds second Fresno clothing store."