The rise of online retail has placed local boutiques across the country in a precarious place. Still, some boutique owners in Fresno have found the formula to thrive, citing in-person interactions as the backbone of their businesses.<\/p>\n
Revival 23 is a clothing and interiors boutique located at The Shops at The Row, a recently established shopping district situated at the edge of Clovis and Fresno. Owner Teresa Pries started the business at a location in Old Town Clovis but closed the original store in January 2025 for the opportunity to be part of the new complex.<\/p>\n
The store is populated with flowery sundresses, pastel colors, and Bohemian homeware. Self-help books are put on display alongside preppy denim. Psalm 23, which the store is named after, is written on the wall. The small-town feel is certainly there, but so is the fashion-forward attitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lack of shopping here in the area, and we\u2019ve definitely filled that niche for our clients,\u201d Pries said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re talking, there\u2019s customers coming in high school, college. Their moms are coming, their grandma\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pries does not want Fresno\u2019s fashion-forward residents to think they should travel to another city or rely on online-only retailers to build wardrobes they love. Rather than relying on traditional marketing, she believes in the power of word-of-mouth.<\/p>\n
Revival 23 opened an online storefront during the pandemic to stay afloat during lockdowns, but post-pandemic, Pries said, \u201c99%\u201d of sales are made in-store. \u201cNow, it\u2019s mainly people that have been into store, maybe have moved out of state, that they\u2019re the ones buying [online] and we\u2019re shipping to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Business is booming enough that Revival 23 will open a second store on May 30 dedicated exclusively to interiors. The new store will also be located at The Row.<\/p>\n
Across town, Pum Bum has been a retailer of women\u2019s clothes at River Park Shopping Center for a decade. Owner Alma Wolverton felt that there was a lack of higher-end clothing retailers in Fresno, and she believes her store has filled that niche.<\/p>\n
A Fresno State graduate, Wolverton was in social work and finance before opening Pum Bum. The changing priorities that came with marriage and motherhood encouraged her to pivot.<\/p>\n
\u201cRetail is changing. It\u2019s not what it was 10 years ago, but it doesn\u2019t mean that people don\u2019t still want to touch clothing, to feel clothing, to have a social experience, which is what boutiques are offering,\u201d Wolverton said, citing last-minute events and fashion emergencies as situations where people would need to visit a boutique rather than waiting for shipping from an online retailer.<\/p>\n
When River Park hosted a premiere for \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2\u201d in May, Pum Bum collaborated with the shopping center by styling the women who attended. From Wolverton\u2019s perspective, the opportunity to interact with clients in-person and celebrate moments together is the ultimate trump card that local boutiques have over e-retailers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about getting one-on-one attention. It\u2019s about community. … The social aspect cannot be ignored,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Wolverton mentioned that restaurants do well in an agriculture-based economy like Fresno because of the popular farm-to-table concept, acknowledging that fashion may not have the same obvious appeal to the city. However, she doesn\u2019t believe that means that there is no fashion scene in Fresno at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that Fresno doesn\u2019t have style. I would say that we were limited on places to go and things to do,\u201d Wolverton said, adding, \u201cBecause our community is smaller, there\u2019s just less to dress up for.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the city grows, the fashion scene is growing with it. The third annual Central Valley Fashion Week will take place in Fresno from July 18 to 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that we have a lot of people here that are style conscious, that appreciate style,\u201d Wolverton said of Fresno, urging the city\u2019s style savvy to shop local. \u201cIf we support our local restaurants, and we support our local shopping, all of that will thrive, and it will grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolverton\u2019s hope is that with even greater support from the local community, Fresno could become a city known for its fashion as it is for its agriculture.<\/p>\n
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