It’s been mixed feelings about Ragin’ Records opening up a place in River Park.
First you’re like “Wait. WHAT!? River Park? But Ragin is, like, TOWER, dude. Metal. Punk. All subculture and stuff!”
River Park is not that.
When River Park went in it was mostly chains and a movie theater. North Fresno. The death of Fashion Fair. Sprawl. A traffic circle we didn’t get.
It was exciting and new, but no heart. Felt like it shouldn’t be.
Over the years it has evolved. Either by design or by necessity it is maybe a little more local – at least the core is.
Teazers. Barrelhouse. Coney Island Me&Ed’s. That place that used to be the sports bar. You know, stuff like that.
It feels more Fresno and I don’t know how to describe it to you more than that. Maybe it has just been there long enough.
So I guess after you work it out, it is okay that River Park has a Ragin’ Records now. Especially since it is in the parking garage (which makes it totally punk).
As I have noted in the past we have some good groups in town keeping old Fresno pictures and memories alive. I would like to add a nerdass entry with my memory maps – hand drawn maps of an area of Fresno with memories of things that once were.
Today we are at Palm & Bullard.
NW Corner
Opus 1 hasn’t changed a bunch
Home of the Opus 1 shopping center. It’s always been there since I have been alive.
Outside of a few shops changing to something else, it’s the same.
There used to be a cool little record shop. It was around at the tail-end of the 80s and maybe at the beginning of the 90s. Now would be a great time for it it be there again. I believe it was in the spot that the Grape Tray is in.
SW Corner
This in not the actual one but it’s damn close
At one time a nice little Foodland Market. Then a Walgreens. Now a yarn place of some kind. Has a neat little green space next to it where Bullard kids would go have their fights after school.
Foster’s is still there and thankfully hasn’t changed… like, AT ALL.
There once was one of the Fotomat places that looked like the one pictured above.
NE Corner
As it is today and stuff
Old Save Mart location. Still empty. Seems like it will be empty forever. My Grandmother lived in the apartments behind the shopping center and we got to bring the carts home when shopping – for some reason I thought that was cool.
There used to be a Sierra Nut House. Now there is a car wash.
Bullard Village Drugs was the jam before all the Walgreens and CVS style places took over. Good magazine section and a good Pharmacist.
Bullard Liquor is now nothing.
The dry cleaner is still there and hasn’t changed. ?
Mama Mia’s is thankfully still there – home of my favorite gnocchi in town.
SE Corner
7-11 has always been there. Not a whole lot has changed. Although when I was a kid there was a little video game room where the Slurpee machince is now. I dropped many quarters into those.
There was a little one of those Fresno PD phones on the side of 7-11 (maybe it is still there). Ironically, the parking lot is where Bullard kids would go to find out where the “illegal” parties were at.
The 76 station is now one of those dinosaur gas stations.??
Feel free to share any history or stories you have about the area, in the comments.
Costco wants to move its West Shaw location to a currently vacant field at Herndon & Riverside. And they want to manipulate Herndon to do it. It seems the West Shaw location is too small for them.
Oh and in case you are still a little foggy on where Riverside Drive and Herndon is at:
It will have great views of the Olive Garden
If it’s THAT big of a problem for them on West Shaw. If it needs so much space. If we need to move and change things. Then, well, maybe it shouldn’t exist at all?
Or at least take the vacant old Super Walmart space just to the East of the current Costco Shaw location, if you ACTUALLY simply need more space.
I respect that Costco (has the reputation amongst the industry at least) of treating their employees better than most of the grocery and retail industry does. Many consider Costco a more ethical company than the Wal-Marts & Targets.
If that’s true, cool. But this is where my like of Costco ends.
Things That Suck About Costco [Old Man Rant Alert!]
It’s too damn big. All of it. The store and items.
They sell a whole buncha of junk. Junk that I shouldn’t nobody should buy.
The fucking parking. Both the NE Fresno location and West Shaw suuuuuck to get in & out of – they should be on this list. And yes, part of the reason they want to leave West Shaw is the bad parking but you know damn well the new place will end up being a shitty lot too.
They charge you annually for the privilege of shopping there (sucker).
Too many different things happening; poultry, books, TVs, optometrist, a giant bag of iceberg lettuce, all under one roof. It’s unsettling.
Lines. Long lines to wait in to give them your money.
And another thing, shouldn’t we be focusing on vacant locations in Fresno becoming residential or a park anyway? There are very few largish open spaces left in the city and the immediate thought is “Hey, let’s get a Costco in there!”
Oh and hey, like, aren’t big box stores on their way out? Amazon killing all the retail and stuff? And if not, won’t Costco come along one day and find that the new Herndon spot is also too small for them?
Let’s not forget what that area, including the small community of Herndon, has had to endure
The traffic is already a mess. I know, I go through there at least twice a day on my commute. Add a Costco with its gas station and then probably a little strip mall with a check cashing place next to a liquor store and a Subway, and it will be a disaster.
That doesn’t even include the many-times-a-day a Union Pacific freight train comes through. And when it does it backs up traffic for three light cycles and that’s with NOTHING currently in the lot that Costco wants to use.
Plus, it would be a waste for a city run golf course, Riverside, to have their third hole looking at the back of a Costco warehouse (with dumpsters and idling 18-wheelers), instead of housing or a green space.
I imagine the city will push it through because taxes or whatever. Not sure how to stop it. Just let the record show I said the new Costco on Herndon will be trash.
Soon To Be Empty Trader Joe’s SignI guess I’ve bought my last bag of dill popcorn, jar of cookie butter and mystery six-pack of beer at Fresno’s Trader Joe’s.
Just when ya think we’ve stopped the “Move North, Young Fresnan!” movement, Trader Joe’s has decided to take its talents to Friant Road.
Yes they do have a crappyass parking lot, but that’s no reason to abandon central Fresno. And yes, these days I consider Barstow and Blackstone, Central Fresno.
Now that Joe’s only locations will be Northeast Fresno and North Clovis (in the Taint District), I have no use for it. Fuck ’em. I protest, dammit.
I WILL NO LONGER SPEND MONEY IN TRADER JOE’S
You may find it silly. And Trader Joe’s will care nothing about it. But I have placed them on my BANNED list! That’s right, bro. Banned. Won’t spend money at the new place.
I may not be alone in this tom foolery.
There is a petition going around the local internets to stop this move by TRADER Joe’s. I signed it. Yeah, I know, it probably won’t do anything. But I signed it. You can too. Ey, what the hell!?
And here I was just about to get around to listening to the What’s Good At Trader Joe’s podcast. Now? There is no need.
CENTRAL FRESNO CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS
There’s only so many discount grocery stores, Dollar Stores and Walmarts, South of Shaw can handle.
Downtown and Central Fresno deserves something more.
I think Fresno would and could support both a Central Fresno and NE Fresno location. But, sadly, Trader’s is following the money and cutting ties. There is no heart in business these days, I suppose.
And since Trader Joe’s is spineless, does its copy-cat store, Sprouts, have the balls to open a store South of Shaw? Downtown? I guess we’ll see, but I’m thinking no.
I’LL MISS YOU THE MOST, MYSTERY BEER
Photo from victorcaballero.comTruth is, I choose to regularly burn my money at Whole Foods and Save Mart and only occasionally go into Trader Joe’s. A little bit more since the Blackstone Avenue Vons closed, but not a lot.
So this nerdy banning of Trader Joe’s won’t be that difficult for me, I admit.
I will miss those cheap mystery six packs of beer though.
