Sacred Heart Coffee opened its doors on Thursday, with its new owners Saul Pinedo (left) and Nathan Olvera (right) hoping to bring good times, good conversations and, of course, good coffee to Downtown Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley

The former Fulton Street Coffee in Downtown Fresno has undergone an ownership change and rebranding, and is now open under its new name — Sacred Heart Coffee — at 2011 Tuolumne St.

The rebrand comes after Fulton Street Coffee, which had been in the space since 2016, closed its doors last month.

The store’s new owners, Saul Pinedo and Nathan Olvera, worked over the last several months to secure a deal to buy the business, they said.

The cafe was popular with downtown customers who took notice when it closed last month. It was busy on its first morning back Thursday morning.

“We want to be ‘that place’ for anyone that works around the area,” Pinedo said. 

He hopes the coffee shop will continue to attract Downtown Fresno regulars, as well as students in the area and anyone looking for good coffee and conversation.

Visitors to the new coffee shop will notice some changes. Pinedo said a remodel included new paint, the addition of tiles and a change in the overall theme of the small, locally-owned coffee shop, sporting a flashy new interior with red trim matching that of the Sacred Heart Coffee brand logo.

Over the coming weeks, Pinedo said the store will post additional signage and decorations.

Pinedo said that the rebrand from Fulton Street Coffee to Sacred Heart Coffee honors the new owners’ Catholic family background.

“Come check it out and experience it for yourself,” he said. “We’re a brand new group of people and we’re here to have a good time, serve some coffee and make some good conversations.”

Late last year, Fulton Street Coffee made headlines when its employees unexpectedly went on strike. The employees accused the former owner, Omar Octavio Vargas, of neglecting environmental and health concerns, as well as committing overtime violations and disagreements about interior decoration choices — specifically a pride flag, according to a letter posted on Instagram by the former employees.

The former employees ended the strike on Feb. 26, however Fulton Street Coffee seemingly never recovered, opening temporarily for limited hours before shuttering permanently in September.

Now operating under its new ownership and name, Sacred Heart Coffee is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.