A short history of Fresno Grape Stake Yard

It’s been said family businesses are the backbone of America. If it wasn’t for the Mom and Pop stores, we would just be another number in a long line of people buying in bulk, receiving little to no service, and being treated more as a “paper or plastic” or “credit or debit” than a valued customer.

On the outskirts of Fresno, California, in a small agricultural lumberyard on Elm Ave, you will find our hardworking family putting our hearts into a second generation business. We welcome you to walk through our doors and become a part of our tradition that includes the kind of hospitality one extends to family.

We at Fresno Grape Stake Yard pride ourselves on customer service. We may be a small family business but we have found our niche and persevered despite the influx of “box stores” and the convenience of Internet shopping. It is a tradition that began over 80 years ago and has grown stronger with each passing year thanks to our loyal customers.

In 1936, Avedis and Rose Antranikian started the Elm Avenue Fruit Market, building the business, with its connecting home, literally from the ground up. Here they worked and lived with their four children instilling in them the value of honest hard work. This little business served as the community’s general store, supplying its customers with not only groceries but other necessities such as coal, chicken feed, firewood, and hay. Their customers were treated like family and help was given whenever needed and in any capacity. However, Fresno was a growing community and they did what they could to stay up with the times. In the 1940s, due to the development of supermarkets, Avedis and Rose started carrying split grape stakes and posts to provide to the growing number of farmers in the area. Over the next twenty years Avedis and Rose gradually moved away from the general store items to make way for the growing demand of farm related products. By the 1960s the Elm Avenue Fruit Market had outgrown its name. It was then decided by family vote to change the name to Fresno Grape Stake Yard.

Avedis passed away in 1973 but Rose continued to run/work Fresno Grape Stake Yard until her passing in 1995. Fresno Grape Stake Yard has grown beyond grape stakes but has sustained without any advertising or twenty-first century technology. Today, our business is operated by Harold, his wife Dianne, daughter Andrea, first cousin Jim, and great nephew William.

We invite you to come by and say hello, buy a cold drink from the old soda box and a candy from the original candy box, browse around the store, walk the four acres, and become part of a 87 year tradition!