Fresno area’s newest upscale shopping complex debuts this fall. Here’s what’s opening

At the opposite corner of a popular, high-class restaurant and luxury apartments in northeast Fresno, another mixed-use complex nears completion.

The Avenue, located at the southeast corner of Willow and Shepherd avenues and catty-corner to Saizon restaurant and The Row, is the latest expansion of the Heritage Grove master planned community in Clovis.

Together with The Row, The Avenue will offer an upscale, mixed-use experience for the Fresno area that’s void of repeated, nearby stores and restaurants.

“Our focus is creating beautiful and unique mixed-use space,” said Vincent Ricchiuti, managing partner at Heritage Development Company in Clovis. “People in Fresno and in Clovis, they want to experience the nice things that people in other parts of California and the world get to experience — but still give them that local flavor.

“So we’re trying to find the best of the best among local shop owners, partnering with the right mix of great local producers and national brands, and local people who are looking to make something special and something different.”

To help create a multi-use complex that goes beyond cookie-cutter shopping centers and no-frills office buildings, The Avenue structures were designed with the architectural influences of southern Italy, where white buildings are commonplace.

Thus, The Avenue’s buildings are all bright white with many recessed and black-trimmed windows. The tall glass double doors provide a grandiose entryway.

White stone also was used as the exterior for two of the buildings.

The designs were made by San Francisco-based BCV Architecture + Interiors.

“The architecture harkens back to Apulia, Italy, where my family is from,” said Ricchiuti, who vacations annually in Italy with his family. “Just a clean, white, beautiful look.”

There’s even a small green space toward the corner of The Avenue, featuring a few freshly planted olive trees and one carefully preserved lemon tree that’s remained in the same spot for more than 50 years.

It was protected amid two years of construction as a remembrance of what the area looked like decades ago. Lemon trees also are known to symbolize luxury and prosperity.

“It’s kind of a landmark,” Ricchiuti said. “This intersection at Willow and Shepherd has changed so much just in my lifetime. From a dirt road to a one-lane road with a stop sign to multilanes and a stop light.

“But this lemon tree, it’s always been here. It was my dad’s desire to not move it. When he sees the lemon tree, he can remember seeing an old house and a fruit stand that used to be there a long time ago.”

While the Ricchiuti family, along with the fellow partnering Parnagian family, have long been in the farming and packing business, Vincent Ricchiuti has taken to the business of growing in a different way.

He seeks to turn farmland once used primarily to grow O’Henry peaches into one of the more desirable places in the Fresno area where living, working, eating and shopping can all occur within the same complex.

Once Phase 1 of The Avenue is completed, additional residences will be built at some point along the Clovis side of the intersection.

For now, much of the construction at The Avenue appears done, though exterior beautification and interior work remains ongoing.

All but one spot has been leased out of the 24,239 square feet of property reserved for retail space.

About 30% of the complex’s office spaces, meanwhile, has been leased out so far.

Ricchiuti said businesses could start to open as early as the fall.

Here’s what’s coming to The Avenue

Enzo’s Table: The flagship retail store for Ricchiuti family farming will return to the southeast corner of the Willow and Shepherd intersection and occupy one of the white-stone buildings.

For years, the original Enzo’s Table store was pretty much the only notable thing at the corner spot. That store eventually was torn down to begin construction on the Avenue, with the Enzo’s Table store relocated into a smaller, 1,400-square foot retail spot on The Row.

Back in a large space, Enzo’s Table will sell more products at the store. Many of its items are related to jams, nuts and olive oils, which was considered one of the top five signature gifts that expresses Fresno pride.

Il Caffè: Inside the new Enzo’s Table, Il Caffè will make its debut. It’s a coffee shop that’s expected to provide an old-time, Italian cafe feel with a beautiful, relaxed setting to sit and enjoy hot drinks at a slower pace.

There won’t be frappuccinos sold here. Il Caffè is intended for serious coffee drinkers.

The cafe also will serve artfully crafted foods, using a farm-to-table concept with a menu heavily influenced with Enzo’s Table ingredients and produce from the Ricchiuti family farms.

Poke House: The Bay-area based restaurant will soon open its first Poke House location in Fresno. Poke House takes a unique approach to Hawaiian Poke.

The House Salmon signature bowl, for one, blends Scottish salmon with a mix of masago, edamame, cucumber, white and green onion, furikake, citrus ponzu and sriracha aioli served over rice or salad.

Poke House also is expected to offer build-your-own pokebowls and sushi rolls among many other items on the menu.

Core Pilates: With the location in Old Town Clovis becoming quite popular, a second studio about 4 miles away will soon open at The Avenue.

Core Pilates specializes in pilates, yoga, barre, sculpt, rebounding and infrared sauna sessions and work with both beginners and advanced students.

MYNA Nail Salon: Colorful and manicured nails with simple or wild designs. That’s just the first layer of service the new salon is expected to provide.

Its sister location, Alyrina Nails & Spa, is located at The Row and has received rave reviews on Yelp.

The Foundry: Known for unique, high-quality clothing, as well as accessories, stationary, home goods and baby products, The Foundry has thrived at its location in Old Town Clovis.

While that store will remain open, the Foundry will open a second location that’s a little closer to a part of Fresno where the median household income within a 1-mile radius of The Avenue is roughly $160,000, according to Commercial Cafe.

The Foundry will occupy the center space on the back building at The Avenue.

Quesadilla Gorilla: On its website, Quesadilla Gorilla touts itself for making quality quesadillas with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and menu that can appeal to both meat lovers and vegan foodies.

This Quesadilla Gorilla is expected to serve as the flagship store and offer a full bar and many TVs to watch while enjoying their specialty quesadillas. The original store store is located in Visalia.

Willow Osteria: The founder of popular restaurants The Annex Kitchen and Annesso Pizzeria plans to open an Italian restaurant that’ll feature a lot of fresh pasta.

Willow Osteria is the latest restaurant by Jimmy Pardini, who is part of the longtime Pardini restaurateur family in Fresno and was a winner of the 2025 Chef of the Year Award from the California Restaurant Association’s Fresno chapter.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.