Image courtesy of Orloff Jewelers | A rendering of the remodeled Orloff Jewelers showroom at Fig Garden Village in Fresno, featuring a central rose gold mesh display column, light wood finishes and dedicated brand boutiques including David Yurman. The remodel is expected to be completed this fall.
published on May 19, 2026 – 2:57 PM
Written by Ben Hensley
A major remodel and expansion underway at Orloff Jewelers this summer is about more than adding space or refreshing displays — it’s part of a deliberate push by the family-owned jeweler to convince luxury watch and jewelry brands that Fresno deserves the same attention as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
The longtime Fig Garden Village retailer announced plans last week to expand into a neighboring storefront. The project will include a dedicated luxury watch boutique, driven by what Max Orloff, a sales executive and third-generation member of the Orloff family, described as both growing customer demand and years of work persuading major brands to invest in the Central Valley.
“We’re really fortunate. We’re going through this huge growth phase,” Orloff said. “We’re bringing in a lot of big brands that have never been in the Central Valley before.”
New brands, new partnerships
The remodel coincides with the jeweler securing several new luxury watch partnerships, including Omega, widely regarded as one of the world’s premier watch brands.
Attracting those brands required years of relationship-building and making the case to luxury companies — many of which are highly selective about new retail partnerships — that Fresno represents an underserved market with both the customer base and spending power to support them.
“People have overlooked Fresno forever,” Orloff said. “Fresno has the money. Fresno has the population, and Fresno has the desire for these brands.”
A boutique experience
The expansion was first considered about three years ago as the business began running out of room, particularly as demand for luxury watches grew. The store identified an underserved segment of shoppers who wanted more options specifically dedicated to timepieces, Orloff said.
That realization helped shape the remodel plans. The watch collection will be separated into its own specialty boutique alongside a lounge-style atmosphere designed to create a personalized luxury shopping experience — the kind Fresno shoppers previously had to travel to find.
“What drove us for the remodel was a need to change, modernize, and bring an experience to Fresno that the Fresno shoppers have never seen before, that they have to travel to LA for,” Orloff said.
Making the case for Fresno
Cultivating relationships with luxury brands, however, was not easy.
Much of that effort has taken place at major industry trade shows, including recent meetings in Geneva during the Watches and Wonders convention, where executives from top luxury watchmaker brands gather annually. Orloff said his approach centered on presenting data about the region’s demographics, economy and geographic positioning.
“It’s up to us to come to these brands and go, ‘Hey, these are the demographics. This is the population. This is the income. These are your major economic sources,’” he said.
He also made the case that Fresno offers a distinct opportunity: a large regional population with significantly less nearby competition from other luxury boutiques carrying the same brands.
Years in the making
The process can take years. Orloff said he pursued Italian watchmaker Panerai for more than three years before reaching an agreement. Negotiations with other brands often involved repeated rejections before a deal was struck.
“It’s kind of our job to go because we just came back from Geneva,” Orloff said. “That’s where all the head honchos were there, where you meet to flirt, talk about business, potentially starting a partnership.”
The company also pitches Fresno itself during those discussions, using marketing materials focused on the city and region.
“We came with an Orloff booklet, and we talked about Fresno,” Orloff said. “It really is a jewel, no pun intended.”
Fall opening targeted
Construction is targeting a fall opening, though Orloff acknowledged that timeline could shift depending on construction schedules and brand-specific buildout requirements. He expects the total investment to exceed $1 million and said the final cost could reach double that amount.