Deals4Less liquidation store had a soft opening in Downtown Fresno at 1950 Van Ness Ave. earlier this month. Photo by Ben Hensley

A new liquidation store near Downtown Fresno is offering shoppers large discounts on everything from appliances to toothpaste.

Deals4Less opened its doors in early December. Owner and CEO Edwan Dablan hopes the store will provide much-needed relief for shoppers struggling with inflation.

“I’ve seen how we’re slipping into a recession and everybody needs to get better deals,” Dablan said. “I found an outlet for that.”

The warehouse, located at 1950 S. Van Ness Ave., was originally purchased two years ago. Dablan had hoped to open a wholesale liquidation furniture store, but said he was quickly turned away from the market by competition.

 

“It’s kind of a monopoly here in Fresno,” Dablan said. “A lot of the guys who have the big box stores, they control who the vendors sell to, so I was blocked out.”

It was then that Dablan decided to change the direction of the business and began ordering wholesale and setting up as a vendor at various flea markets, eventually leading to customers inquiring about where he sourced his inventory. As a response, Dablan invited customers to his warehouse; eventually, the warehouse would be converted to the official storefront at nearly 7,000 square feet.

Through word of mouth, Dablan, a Selma native who formerly worked in construction, accumulated more than 4,000 followers on Instagram in the months leading up to the opening of Deals4Less.

The customer-first mindset is something Dablan takes pride in for both himself and his staff.

“I know most of my customers by first name,” he said. “It’s customer service all the way.”

 

Offering regular deals of 50-70% off, Deals4Less has a wide variety of items ranging from small appliances and lawnmowers, to toothpaste, toys, video games, furniture, linens and more.

“I want to bring low prices to my customers. That’s my goal,” Dablan said. “We’re family owned and operated so I have my wife and kids here; I’ve got friends that I grew up with that are helping us and we all have the same mission: give back to the community.”

Inventory at Deals4Less has seen rapid growth since opening, with Dablan saying standard deliveries have increased from one per week up to five per week.

Dablan hopes to have his grand opening near the end of the year, and has actively sought out the Make a Wish Foundation in the hopes of making a donation.

Deals4Less’ soft opening in Downtown Fresno came ahead of Lucky Day Liquidation, a similar store that hosted a Dec. 9 grand opening in a former Big Lots location in Clovis.