Copas Cantina will have a grand opening event this Saturday starting at 4 p.m. under the new mother-son ownership of Maryann Quinones and Andrew Renteria. Photo by Ben Hensley

Longtime Fresno dive bar Sandy’s Place has new owners — a mother-and-son partnership — and has rebranded to Copas Cantina. 

Located at 1842 E. McKinley Ave. just east of Blackstone Avenue, Sandy’s Place has been a well-known locals spot for a few decades under the ownership of Sandy Self, who is retiring.

Self sold it to Maryann Quinones and her son Andrew Renteria, and two weeks after receiving the business, they opened to the public Jan. 6.

 

The escrow process took a year, though, because of the license transfer by Alcoholic Beverage Control.

“Obviously, they do background checks and fingerprinting and the whole process in order for you to be qualified for the liquor license,” said Alexandra Stumpf with Stumpf And Company Real Estate, which brokered the business sale.

Stumpf also helped Quinones and Renteria navigate the ownership transfer process with the Employment Development Department and Franchise Tax Board.

They cleared these hurdles as quickly as possible because opening Copas Cantina was their dream. 

Quinones said she called Renteria on New Year’s Eve 2023 about buying Sandy’s Place. She cried and told her son, “I will follow my dream.” They started thinking about what to rename the business. 

“We went through a million names and had to search them, and stuck with something that wasn’t being used already,” said Quinones. 

Quinones’s mother is from Mexicali in Baja California, Mexico, where little clay drinking cups called “copas” are used in the bars.

Stumpf said while it is common for a family to start a business, a mother-and-son partnership is rare. The father-daughter partnership is actually more common.

Stumpf and sister Veronica run Stumpf and Company with their father, Ron Stumpf.

“I was happy that they came forward to buy it because I come from the flip side, the father-daughter brokerage,” said Stumpf. “So I’m in business with my father, who started this brokerage 48 years ago. It’s been 15 years since I’ve joined.” 

One of the key goals for Quinones and Renteria in the reopening is to keep Copas Cantina clean, professional and inviting. Quinones hired the former bartender who worked with Self for 20 years as manager of Copas Cantina. They have plans for some fun events. 

“We’re gonna go with the sports, like Super Bowl parties, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s, just anything,” said Quinones. “Maybe get a little bit of karaoke in here. People have asked me for speed dating, book club, wine nights, a variety.” 

Right now, they are eagerly preparing for their grand opening celebration this Saturday starting at 4 p.m. and are excited to welcome everyone to Copas Cantina. 

“We’ll have live music starting at five and have food for people. Pool tables will be open, and we look forward to seeing everybody,” said Quinones.