Kiku Floral relocates from downtown to central Fresno

Kiku Floral, one of Fresno’s longest-running flower shops, has relocated to central Fresno after more than 30 years in Chinatown and downtown Fresno.

The store’s new address is 3714 N. Valentine Ave., just south of Ashlan. If you are familiar with the location you probably know it’s the Expo Party Rental building. But don’t be confused, Kiku is leasing space in the building as part of its plan to gain more wedding customers. Expo Party Rental provides party supplies for many events, including weddings.

“It was so hard to leave our downtown business, but we’ve also known the owners of Expo Party Rental for a very long time and this became an opportunity to grow,” said Lorrie Yamada, who owns the business with her husband Larry.

Kiku, which was formerly located on Kern Street in The Tower at Convention Center Court, will continue to be a full-service flower store. But the owners also hope that their reputation and 33 years in business will convince more wedding customers and event planners to give them a try.

“We pride ourselves on our customer service,” Lorrie Yamada said. “And we also have a great reputation for getting things done right.”

Yamada said the flower shop will continue to offer locally made gifts, including honey from Hinkle’s Honey and decorative coasters from Pedro Urena.

She also plans to sell loose flowers and bunches for customers who want to pick up something quickly.

“We probably won’t have a lot of foot traffic like we used to,” she said. “But we are in a convenient location.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Kiku Floral relocates from downtown to central Fresno."