Owner Dana Bentley (Center Right), received a visit from Mayor Jerry Dyer, City of Fresno Council member Tyler Maxwell, and members of the FAHF including president Dora Westerlund and Grand Program Manager Flavio Arechiga to celebrate the completion of the renovations. Photo by Frank Lopez

Several Fresno businesses have had their exteriors revamped with the help of a city program.

The City of Fresno, in collaboration with the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, recently finished a round of grant funding for the Façade Improvement Program to enhance the public-facing side of small businesses.

The city’s general fund set aside $360,000 for the program, with this round aiming to assist businesses located in Downtown Fresno or Chinatown.

Qualifying businesses can receive up to $20,000 for single storefront properties, and up to $50,000 for multiple storefronts. Businesses must match 25% of the grant they receive.

Eligible types of improvements to a business’ exterior include removal of old signs, awnings and other exterior clutter, exterior painting, installation of new entry doors, installation of new signs or repairs of current signs, and the repair or replacement of exterior fencing.

The current round for the Façade Improvement Program started in October and ended on Nov. 13.

Yery Olivares, chief operating officer at the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation (FAHF), said that many of the businesses that get the funding have historically faced many challenges accessing capital to improve their businesses’ façade.

“As they beautify their facades, it contributes to them being able to attract more business into their storefronts,” Olivares said.

 

The program, launched in 2022, started helping businesses throughout the city with a special emphasis on Districts 4 and 5. The most recent round focused on the Downtown Fresno and Chinatown area.

Olivares said businesses that benefit from the program appreciate the help FAHF offers in applying with the correct documentation.

Among the many eligibility requirements, businesses must be licensed and in good standing with the city.

Olivares said applying for the program also gives her team an opportunity to assess the needs of businesses, whether its marketing, legal issues and more.

The 25% percent match from the business owner does not have to be in cash, Olivares said. If the business owners recently invested at least the 25% matching value in exterior renovations — including window and door installation, sign installation or renovation — it can be counted towards the match.

Olivares said that having access to the program allows business owners to invest in exterior renovations that otherwise do in a timely manner — if at all.

“We have a good number of applications in the pipeline now, and it’s basically first come, first serve,” she said. “We are reviewing applications and reaching out to the businesses and making sure they’re eligible.”

Some of this round’s recipients are Javier’s Home Appliance, Bentley’s Drum Shop, Borelli and Associates, HOPE, and the Wyndham Garden Fresno Yosemite Airport.

Café Leon, which has been in business for nearly three years, got funding from the façade program in August 2023.

Owner Saul Gonzalez said that the funding was very helpful, with a new logo for their sign and a new, yellow-and-blue paint job that makes the building noticeable from a distance.

There was also a new cement area constructed outside where customers could wait.

He said the renovations have helped attract more customers.

“If it wasn’t for the program, it would have taken us a little longer to do all this, so thanks to them it was perfect timing,” Gonzalez.

He says his regular customers compliment the building, tell him it looks nice, clean and eye-catching.

Dana Bentley, owner of Bentley’s Drum Shop, which has been in business for 32 years, received funding during the most recent round.

Bentley said they received the full $20,000 funding, and invested some of their own money to complete the desired renovations.

“The response has been overwhelming, everybody loves the way it looks,” he said. “I’ve had neighbors come over that aren’t musicians or drummers, but they just came in to say it looks great.”

He said he has urged other businesses owners to apply for the program during the next round of funding.

The building used to be blue, which looked a little dated, Bentley said, and their sign wasn’t lit.

 

 

The renovations include a black metal exterior and a metal awning, which will last for decades.

The front walkway was changed to an epoxy walkway, similar to the material found in show car garages that is easily cleaned.

 

“It was so easy with the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation team,” he said. “This is the first time we went through a grant, and it was super easy.”

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer visited Bentley’s Drum Shop, as well as other grant recipients on Nov. 12 to meet with Bentley and highlight façade renovations.

He said many businesses don’t have profit margins big enough to be able to invest in their business, and some businesses could be come eyesores.

Dyer said about $2.4 million has been invested in the façade program since its inception.

“It’s been beneficial to the people that pass by, and to business owners,” Dyer said. “The more curb appeal a business has, the more likely they are to draw customers in.”

He said the city will continue investing in the program.