A person walks along the Chinatown businesses on Kern Street in Downtown Fresno. The Chinatown Fresno Foundation is offering free rent for six months for a handful of businesses to locate there. File photo

Fresno’s Chinatown neighborhood of Downtown Fresno may have new businesses and commercial space for entrepreneurs and startups called the Pop-Up Place.

Jan Minami, program director of the Chinatown Foundation, is banking on the community’s support to make the Pop-Up Place a resounding success. She envisions it as a catalyst to redefine Chinatown, attract new residents and shape its future. The Chinatown Foundation has a history of supporting economic development plans to bolster existing businesses, and now, they are also focused on bringing a diverse range of new businesses into the community. 

“We are going to offer free of charge for six months, a location, a common location for up to six startup businesses,” said Minami. “Later, we’ll support them with workshops and other support on business planning.”

Minami explains that a robust business plan is a key requirement for businesses to be considered for the six months’ rent and support from the Chinatown Foundation. The Foundation will carefully review all applications, selecting those that align best with the community’s needs and vision. However, Minami notes that applications for restaurant businesses will not be accepted due to resource constraints.

“We don’t have the facility to support restaurants because a startup restaurant needs to cook food just like any restaurant, and we don’t have the means. We’re not set up for restaurant space,” said Minami. “So, it’s only retail microenterprises.” 

In addition, the Chinatown Foundation is partnering with small real estate developers to help redevelop empty spaces in Chinatown to attract businesses. Minami mentions that many vacant second floors and in-fills in the community can be turned into mixed-use housing for business owners. She further explains many big real estate developers aren’t interested in small projects like Pop-Up Place. 

“We’re also not interested in large real estate developers, such as making a Jack in the Box on the corner of the street,” said Minami. We want local owners, local food and local shops. In fact, a high percentage of our property owners are also within the valley.” 

She mentions that the Pop-Up Place is influenced by the San Francisco Vacant to Vibrant program, in which they redevelop empty places when big businesses leave the area.

“We’re looking at doing a very similar thing where people want to start their business and offering them the opportunity similar to what San Francisco is doing to locate businesses in their Chinatown,” Minami said.

In addition, the Pop-Up Place is supported by the community in Chinatown. Many board members of the Chinatown Foundation are property owners who live in the area, where they represent the locals. The foundation also holds meeting where people in the area or those interested in Chinatown can talk about issues and programs like Pop-Up Place. 

“The work that we do is focused on keeping Chinatown local and keeping the atmosphere of the people who’ve lived here and worked here forever,” Minami said.

Minami said interested applicants want to start businesses including a bookstore and a gallery.

For more information about applying to the Pop-Up Place, contact the Chinatown Fresno Foundation at 559-815-9592 or email biz@chinatownfresno.org.