In 2017, Uncle Harry's New York Bagelry & Coffeehouse lost its corner of Fig Garden Village. The lease had run out and the two sides couldn't agree on new terms. According to The Fresno Bee, a sign on the door at the time said the shopping center preferred a national tenant to a mom-and-pop shop.
Nine years later, the national coffee tenant is the one that left. The Starbucks at Palm and Shaw had been in the center since 1997, and its last day was Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. It was one of 250 stores the company closed after reviewing its North American locations. The local counters it shared the center with are still pouring. For anyone in Old Fig Garden whose morning ends at the Village, the coffee there now comes almost entirely from businesses with roots in Fresno.
A Corner That Changed Hands Twice
The history matters because it explains the floor plan. Uncle Harry's ran at Fig Garden Village for 18 years before 2017, in the corner space where Paper Source operates today. When the bagel shop left, The Bee reported that customers called the closure a mistake. A new leasing team later took over the center, and the owners decided to give Fig Garden Village another chance.
Uncle Harry's reopened in July 2025, next door to its old spot, in the former Cowboy Chicken space beside Capriotti's Sandwich Shop. A customer who lives in the neighborhood told The Bee on opening week, "It was our spot," and remembered walking over on weekends to find a big crowd.
So the bagel shop came back about 14 months before the Starbucks closed. The center's own path ran from preferring a national name in 2017, to welcoming a returning local shop in 2025, to losing its chain coffee tenant in 2026.
Why the Chain Left and the Counters Stayed
Starbucks didn't give The Bee any detail on why it closed the Fig Garden store beyond its company-wide statement. Its chief operating officer, Mike Grams, wrote to employees that the closures targeted locations "where we do not believe we can consistently deliver the experience we want for customers and partners or where we don't see a path to acceptable financial performance."
The Bee's follow-up pointed to one physical fact that may have played a role. The Fig Garden store had no drive-thru, and at least 90% of the new Starbucks stores the company opens have one.
A walk-in design is how the local shops make their living. La Boulangerie, Uncle Harry's and The Patio Cafe are places where people sit down, not lanes for picking up an order. The Bee noted that regulars were surprised by the closure. It also noted that the center's local businesses are still standing while the chain has closed.
Who Is Pouring at the Village Now
Each of the remaining counters offers a different kind of morning.
| Counter | At Fig Garden Village | What it pours and serves | Hours, by source |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Boulangerie | Since 1985; the bakery opened Nov. 1, 1980 | Espresso drinks from cappuccinos to a pumpkin-spice latte, French-influenced pastries, full meals | Check with La Boulangerie directly |
| Uncle Harry's NY Bagelry & Coffeehouse | Back since July 2025, after 18 earlier years in the center | Self-serve coffee, espresso drinks, cold brew, creative lattes, bagels and Beggelwiches | 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily when it reopened in July 2025 |
| The Patio Cafe | Fig Garden Village | Espresso drinks, all-day breakfast, salads, wraps and artisan sandwiches | 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, per its website |
La Boulangerie has been at Fig Garden for 41 years, which means it was already there 12 years before Starbucks arrived. Its own site calls it a bakery with strong French influence that aims to be "your neighborhood bakery," known for anything from a special-occasion cake to a fresh Danish on the patio. The Bee described "La Bou" as a hangout that gets packed at certain times, with more pastries than Starbucks offered and full meals besides.
Uncle Harry's is the early start. When it reopened in July 2025, it was open from 5:30 a.m. The Bee reported that the bagel shop has leaned into drinks since it came back, with cold brew and lattes such as a brown sugar cinnamon oat matcha latte alongside its self-serve coffee station. Its bagels run from plain to pesto provolone and banana nut. The Beggelwich menu includes steak and eggs and a Veggie D'light.
The Patio Cafe is the place for a coffee that turns into breakfast. Its website lists breakfast all day and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For a cup between errands, the Whole Foods in the center also makes espresso drinks.
Uncle Harry's and The Patio Cafe both list 3 p.m. closing times in their sources, so the Village's coffee hours run mostly morning to midday. For a weekend that starts at the market and ends at the Village, our Old Fig Garden Saturday, sequenced against the heat, shows where a coffee stop fits.
The Next Local Counter Is Across San Jose
The next addition to this corner of town also comes from a Fresno business. In October, The Bee reported that Otherside Cafe plans a second location at Palm and San Jose avenues, at the entrance to the Fig Garden Financial Center. That is just north of Fig Garden Village, behind Elbow Room and Chipotle.
Otherside comes from the same owners as Saizon and Heirloom in northeast Fresno. It roasts its own coffee and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with drinks like a honey saffron latte and light meals such as a miso salmon bowl. The new café is going into a freestanding building that was once a bank. As of the October report, interior demolition was underway, and co-owner Rema Koligian said she expects it to open by the end of 2027.
Until Otherside opens, the Village counters carry the neighborhood's coffee, and two of them have been part of the center's mornings for decades. The center's own New & Coming Soon page lists Sephora, so the retail side of the Village keeps changing while its coffee has settled into local hands.
What the Village Looks Like From Old Fig Garden
From the neighborhood's side of Palm Avenue, the September closure shrank the list of coffee counters and changed who runs it. La Boulangerie has served from Fig Garden since 1985, Uncle Harry's is back next to the corner it held for 18 years, and The Patio Cafe opens at 7 a.m. Starbucks lasted 29 years in the center. The shop the center once let go for a national tenant has now outlasted that preference. Another Fresno café is being built out just north at Palm and San Jose, with a target of the end of 2027. More on the neighborhood around these streets is on our Old Fig Garden page.
Old Fig Garden sits a short walk from La Bou and Uncle Harry's. If you're weighing a move nearby, Joe Sciarrone can show you which streets keep that morning routine within easy reach. Begin Your Next Chapter.