{"id":284815,"date":"2026-04-25T02:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/284815\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T02:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:16:15","slug":"fresno-retail-roundup-openings-closures-and-council-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/284815\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno retail roundup: openings, closures and council vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Fresno area\u2019s retail and dining landscape has seen plenty of action this month, with new openings, sudden closures and a contentious Clovis city council vote.<\/p>\n

This roundup covers the top retail stories shaping the central San Joaquin Valley, including a craft brewery shutting its doors, a Korean fried chicken chain expanding and a downtown restaurant fighting to survive High-Speed Rail construction. Barnes & Noble is also heading to Clovis, and Dutch Bros keeps growing.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at Fresno Bee retail stories from April<\/p>\n

Fresno eatery braces for High-Speed Rail disruption. \u2018Fighting to keep doors open\u2019 \u2022 Downtown Fresno eatery Libelula is bracing for what owner Chef Ian Cookson calls its greatest challenge as High-Speed Rail construction closes Fresno Street for more than a year. A nearby state-owned parking lot already closed, reducing sales, and Cookson said he learned of the street closure only weeks in advance. The restaurant posted on social media that it was \u201cfighting to keep our doors open.\u201d Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Macarons Macarons are prepared in the kitchen at Lod\u00e9i Bakery & Cafe, an Armenian family-owned bakery on the northeast corner of Palm and Bullard avenues. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

Why a family-run bakery in Fresno doesn\u2019t fear Randy\u2019s Donuts opening next door \u2022 Lod\u00e9i Bakery & Cafe, a family-run Armenian bakery at Palm and Bullard avenues, isn\u2019t worried about Randy\u2019s Donuts opening next door. The Keymetlyan family actually hopes the famous chain will drive foot traffic to their tucked-away spot, which serves elaborate pastries, macarons and Armenian favorites. \u201cIt\u2019s different things,\u201d said 17-year-old Arpi Keymetlyan. \u201cThey have their thing. We have ours.\u201d Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A A newly upgraded Mercedes-Benz of Fresno facility was unveiled during an event with mayor Jerry Dyer attending on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The dealership has recently completed a $4 million renovation to its showroom and service department. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

Mercedes flexes $4M in upgrades at Fresno car dealership. \u2018First class,\u2019 mayor says \u2022 Mercedes-Benz of Fresno unveiled $4 million in renovations at its Palm and Herndon avenues dealership, featuring a more interactive showroom with digital kiosks and an expanded service department. The loaner fleet grew to 120 vehicles. Mayor Jerry Dyer called it \u201ca first-class dealership in Fresno.\u201d Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

Another Fresno-area brewery closes. \u2018I\u2019m just sitting there by myself for hours\u2019 \u2022 Incinerati Brewing Co., a Clovis taproom on Tollhouse Road, is closing \u2014 with its last day set for April 26 or when the beer runs out. Owner Mike Sumaya said the taproom never generated enough business to quit his day job, and the off-the-beaten-path location made it hard to draw customers. The closure follows a string of craft brewery shutdowns across the central San Joaquin Valley as the industry faces rising costs and declining consumption. Click here for full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fresno restaurant along Blackstone Avenue deals with challenges but keeps thriving \u2022 Shobu Japanese Cuisine on Blackstone Avenue has weathered the pandemic, homelessness challenges and its owner\u2019s retirement but continues to thrive. Voted No. 1 Japanese cuisine in the Fresno area in the 2025 Fresno Bee Best of Central California awards, the restaurant is known for its sushi and a fusion dish combining Japanese broth with Vietnamese pho noodles. Manager John Chang said inflation and fewer diners eating out have created uncertain stretches. Click here for full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Popular national bakery chain closes Fresno cafe. It\u2019s not first in area to shut down \u2022 The Corner Bakery Cafe in northeast Fresno has permanently closed after nearly 10 years, with workers seen removing kitchen equipment. The closure follows the same owners shutting down the chain\u2019s Visalia location in September 2024, leaving no Corner Bakery cafes in the central San Joaquin Valley. A previously planned Clovis location at Loma Vista Marketplace remains uncertain. Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Workers Workers begin construction on a new Dutch Bros Coffee going up near the old Javier’s Mexican Restaurant on Kings Canyon Road east of Clovis Avenue on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

Yet another Dutch Bros Coffee opening in Fresno? Yup, here\u2019s where and when \u2022 Construction is underway on a new Dutch Bros Coffee on East Kings Canyon Road near Clovis Avenue, aiming for a late summer or early fall opening. The Fresno area now has 13 Dutch Bros locations in Fresno and Clovis \u2014 up from just two 20 years ago \u2014 with additional spots in the works for Sanger and Shaw Avenue in Clovis. Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Bb.q Bb.q chicken is opening a second Fresno-area location near Kings Canyon Road and Clovis Avenue, bringing Korean fried chicken and K-food sides to southeast Fresno. Bryant-Jon Anteola The Fresno Bee <\/p>\n

International chain bucks Fresno fried chicken trend, opens new restaurant \u2022 Korean fried chicken chain bb.q Chicken is opening a second Fresno-area location near Kings Canyon Road and Clovis Avenue, set to open around the start of May. The expansion bucks a local trend of fried chicken restaurant closures, including multiple KFC shutdowns across the area. The chain, founded in Korea, operates over 3,500 locations worldwide across 57 countries. Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Barnes Barnes & Noble is opening a new store in the former Joann location on Herndon and Clovis avenues. Photographed Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 in Clovis. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n

Barnes & Noble will open its first bookstore in Clovis at former JoAnn site \u2022 Barnes & Noble will open its first Clovis bookstore on April 29 at the Clovis Crossing Shopping Mall, in the former JoAnn Fabric and Craft store space at Herndon and Clovis avenues. The 18,000-square-foot location will be the chain\u2019s third in the Fresno area and will include a cafe serving Starbucks coffee. New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy will appear at the grand opening for a ribbon-cutting and book signing. Click here for full story.<\/a><\/p>\n

Clovis OK\u2019s controversial plan for vacant Shaw Ave. lot. \u2018A betrayal to residents\u2019 \u2022 Clovis City Council approved a controversial self-storage facility on a Shaw Avenue lot that has sat vacant for nearly 50 years, despite strong opposition from nearby residents. The 3-2 vote allows 750 to 800 storage units on a 2.45-acre parcel originally designated for office use. Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck called the decision \u201ca betrayal\u201d of city policies and neighbors, while supporters said the lot\u2019s long vacancy reflected insufficient demand for office space. Click here for full story.<\/p>\n

Original stories by Fresno Bee reporters Bryant-Jon Anteola, Bethany Clough, Erik Galicia and Leqi Zhong.<\/p>\n

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media\u2019s AI policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 3:12 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Christopher Kirkpatrick<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Christopher Kirkpatrick is senior editor of The Fresno Bee and Vida en el Valle.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Fresno area\u2019s retail and dining landscape has seen plenty of action this month, with new openings, sudden…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-284815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}