A prime spot in the growing Brewery District in downtown Fresno will soon be home to a new business: A whiskey lounge.
The large space at the corner of Fulton and Mono streets has been for rent for years. It’s in the same building as Modernist craft cocktail bar, and across the street from Full Circle Brewing.
The Stage Depot Whiskey Lounge has signed a lease and is aiming to open in spring of next year. It will have a full bar, but specialize in whiskey.
It will be a few doors down from another new business that The Fresno Bee recently broke the news about, Smokin Woods BBQ restaurant.
Stage Depot’s owners are hoping to create a comfortable lounge with couches and other seating where people can enjoy a cocktail. They also want to host whiskey tasting events and play music.
“We do want to bring the elevated luxury feeling to downtown Fresno, not just have it in the north side of Fresno,” said co-owner Pete Hernandez. “Downtown Fresno is growing. It’s time to bring the awareness of downtown Fresno, that it’s fun, it’s safe.”
Why the Stage Depot?
The name is a nod to the building’s history. Built in 1920 and dubbed the Rustigian building, it was at one point Anchor Stage Depot.
Not to be confused with stagecoaches, stages were large vehicles used to transport people, a sort of precursor to a modern-day bus. The bar will take over what was the 5,400-square-foot waiting area once filled with benches and customers awaiting their departures.
Passengers boarded stages parked in the back portion of the building.
There’s still a lot of work to do, Hernandez noted, including building the bar and new bathrooms.
The building is owned by Nora Monaco, who owns several buildings in the district. She has already restored much of the building.
Hernandez is partnering with another entrepreneur, Roger Singh, to open the bar. Hernandez owns several healthcare companies and Singh owns a trucking company.
“We got together and talked about (how) Fresno is growing, and what we would like to see in Fresno when going out to get a drink with our friends and loved ones,” he said. “We’re hoping this is as successful as everything else that is currently in the Brewery District.”
