Small business spotlight: Fresno Chinatown looking to become hub for local small businesses

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- "We're ever connected the lookout of however to gully much concern enactment into Chinatown," Jan Minami with the Chinatown Fresno Foundation says.

Local entrepreneurs are breathing caller beingness into Fresno's Chinatown.

"There's a batch of things to beryllium recovered present and if you're consenting to look past that look and excavation deeper into what's really successful the stores and the restaurants you're going to find immoderate gems that person been present for years and years," Judging By The Cover co-owner Ashley Mireles Guerrero says.

Guerrero launched her store online, the indie bookstore highlights historically marginalized authors and uncommon books.

"We bring successful books successful Spanish successful Hindi successful Tagalog successful Hmong and books not commonly recovered successful stores similar Barnes and Noble and hard to find connected Amazon," Guerrero says.

But with a pursuing increasing by the minute, opening a ceramic and mortar is giving readers the accidental to browse the bookshelves.

Located connected F Street betwixt Mariposa and Tulare, The Pop-Up Place is giving up and coming businesses a boost. Thanks to a grant, The Chinatown Fresno Foundation is paying their rent and utilities for the archetypal six months.

"It's going to beryllium beauteous astatine the extremity of the tunnel. We'll person entree to downtown erstwhile the underpasses are done. We're getting caller trees, caller lighting," Chinatown Fresno Foundation Chair June Stanfield says.

Stanfield opened her barbershop 26 years agone and knows firsthand the struggles of starting up.

"I would similar to capable each of the spaces here," Stanfield says.

In summation to books, old-school looks are disposable astatine Vintage Drip Clothing.

"We person vintage apparel from 80s, 90s chiefly immoderate collectibles posters and stuff," Vintage Drip proprietor Rick Gonzalez says.

The Chinatown Fresno Foundation picked these 2 stores done an exertion process.

"When I met with some of them successful person, I could spot the passionateness that they had for what they did the emotion that they had for the concern that they wanted to turn and conscionable for the assemblage successful itself," Monica Valero with Community Development says.

"We're moving hard to effort and thrust assemblage down present and marque definite we person a bully showing for Chinatown, and hopefully, it continues connected beyond the six-month mark," Gonzalez says.

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