{"id":336498,"date":"2026-05-28T21:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T21:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/336498\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T21:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T21:26:11","slug":"after-150-years-fresno-ag-eyes-new-spots-looking-at-you-madera-ranchos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/336498\/","title":{"rendered":"After 150 Years, Fresno Ag Eyes New Spots. Looking at You, Madera Ranchos"},"content":{"rendered":"

With 150 years under its belt come July 4, iconic Fresno Ag Hardware has its sights set on more locations for the Central Valley, including smaller neighborhood concepts<\/p>\n

The store\u2019s true birthdate is in dispute to this day, said Ian Williams, chief operating officer for Fresno Ag. Some historical records peg the year at 1874, some at 1877, but they landed on 1876, with the real date matching up with the country\u2019s birthdate \u2014 July 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometime in the early 1900s it was confirmed 1876 was the number we were gonna stick with,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

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

What is known is how it began.<\/p>\n

After opening his blacksmith shop, Scottish immigrant James Porteous invented the Fresno scraper, a horse-drawn claw designed to build canals and ditches that later became the basis for\u00a0 modern earthmoving equipment.<\/p>\n

That scraper played an essential role in building the Panama Canal and later in the trenches of World War I. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers<\/a> named the device as an engineering landmark.<\/p>\n

Back in the Central Valley, the scraper helped drive Fresno Agricultural Works into the future.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photos of Fresno Agricultural Works founder James Porteous and his invention, the Fresno scraper, hang at Fresno Ag Hardware on Wednesday, May 27 2026. (GV Wire\/Jahz Tello)
\nItalian Immigrant Makes Fresno Ag What It Is Today<\/p>\n

For years, Porteous serviced wagons, sold buggies, well pumps, and tools, including the scraper, out of his shop in downtown Fresno. It was about when Porteous died \u2014 1922 \u2014 that Williams\u2019 great-grandparents arrived in Fresno from Italy.<\/p>\n

They died not long after arriving, leaving their son, John Rosetta, in foster care. Despite serving in World War II, flying B-17 bombers, Rosetta had a hard time finding work after returning home from service, Williams said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the easiest for Italians back then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Porteous family, however, took Rosetta on to work as a custodian.<\/p>\n

There, Rosetta thrived, climbing from custodian to chief of operations. He expanded the business, bringing in household items such as electrical and plumbing hardware, window glass, barbecues, and fireplace screens, turning it into the store many Fresno residents are now familiar with.<\/p>\n

Then, the owners approached Rosetta with a business proposition \u2014 making the store his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, in 1952, my grandpa, as the story goes, with a dollar down and a firm handshake, bought the Fresno Ag Hardware portion of that business really turned it into what it is today,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

\"\"John Rosetta made Fresno Ag Hardware the store what it is today. (GV Wire\/Jahz Tello)
\nFresno Ag\u2019s Neighborhood Model<\/p>\n

Williams says his grandfather was always a forward thinker, tracking how trends moved to stay on top of the market.<\/p>\n

The family took the location from downtown, moving from Princeton and Blackstone avenues to the Gettysburg and Blackstone avenues location that made them iconic. A lease dispute in 2008 moved them from that location to one at Gettysburg and First avenues.<\/p>\n

Rosetta expanded from hardware to include leisure goods. Williams thinks Fresno Ag was the region\u2019s first Weber barbecue dealer. Part of the success comes from employee longevity, he said. Several have more than 20 years with the business. Two have more than 50 years, Williams said.<\/p>\n

Now, Williams wants to keep that forward thinking. When the store in 2023 opened its first satellite location in Clovis, Williams saw how successful the neighborhood model was.<\/p>\n

Even at 10,000 square feet, the store carries many essentials people in the neighborhood can access with ease, Williams said.<\/p>\n

He now wants to duplicate that success.<\/p>\n

Anchored by a flagship location, smaller 20,000-square-foot locations can service neighborhood needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Madera Ranchos, I love Herndon (Avenue) and (Highway) 99, and I love Sunnyside, I think all three of those areas are in need for a Fresno Ag,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if anybody\u2019s been out towards Sanger West right now, but it is absolutely going gangbusters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bucket Sales, 3,000 Hot Dogs for Celebration<\/p>\n

Celebrations for the 150-year anniversary will begin the first weekend of June with what Williams describes as a \u201cbucket sale,\u201d meaning they can get 25% off \u201cpretty much\u201d whatever people can cram into a 5-gallon bucket.<\/p>\n

Along with the sale, vendors will be out, and he\u2019s already ordered 3,000 hot dogs for guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really hoping people come out to support us,\u201d Williams said. \u201cYou know, we\u2019re all about Fresno and we\u2019re about keeping it local. I can\u2019t tell the public how much I appreciate the support that they\u2019ve given us these last 150 years and it\u2019s important. We want to make good on our promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

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