With 150 years under its belt come July 4, iconic Fresno Ag Hardware has its sights set on more locations for the Central Valley, including smaller neighborhood concepts

The store’s true birthdate is in dispute to this day, said Ian Williams, chief operating officer for Fresno Ag. Some historical records peg the year at 1874, some at 1877, but they landed on 1876, with the real date matching up with the country’s birthdate — July 4.

“Sometime in the early 1900s it was confirmed 1876 was the number we were gonna stick with,” Williams said.

What is known is how it began.

After opening his blacksmith shop, Scottish immigrant James Porteous invented the Fresno scraper, a horse-drawn claw designed to build canals and ditches that later became the basis for  modern earthmoving equipment.

That scraper played an essential role in building the Panama Canal and later in the trenches of World War I. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers named the device as an engineering landmark.

Back in the Central Valley, the scraper helped drive Fresno Agricultural Works into the future.

Italian Immigrant Makes Fresno Ag What It Is Today

For years, Porteous serviced wagons, sold buggies, well pumps, and tools, including the scraper, out of his shop in downtown Fresno. It was about when Porteous died — 1922 — that Williams’ great-grandparents arrived in Fresno from Italy.

They died not long after arriving, leaving their son, John Rosetta, in foster care. Despite serving in World War II, flying B-17 bombers, Rosetta had a hard time finding work after returning home from service, Williams said.

“It wasn’t the easiest for Italians back then,” he said.

The Porteous family, however, took Rosetta on to work as a custodian.

There, Rosetta thrived, climbing from custodian to chief of operations. He expanded the business, bringing in household items such as electrical and plumbing hardware, window glass, barbecues, and fireplace screens, turning it into the store many Fresno residents are now familiar with.

Then, the owners approached Rosetta with a business proposition — making the store his own.

“So, in 1952, my grandpa, as the story goes, with a dollar down and a firm handshake, bought the Fresno Ag Hardware portion of that business really turned it into what it is today,” Williams said.

Fresno Ag’s Neighborhood Model

Williams says his grandfather was always a forward thinker, tracking how trends moved to stay on top of the market.

The family took the location from downtown, moving from Princeton and Blackstone avenues to the Gettysburg and Blackstone avenues location that made them iconic. A lease dispute in 2008 moved them from that location to one at Gettysburg and First avenues.

Rosetta expanded from hardware to include leisure goods. Williams thinks Fresno Ag was the region’s first Weber barbecue dealer. Part of the success comes from employee longevity, he said. Several have more than 20 years with the business. Two have more than 50 years, Williams said.

Now, Williams wants to keep that forward thinking. When the store in 2023 opened its first satellite location in Clovis, Williams saw how successful the neighborhood model was.

Even at 10,000 square feet, the store carries many essentials people in the neighborhood can access with ease, Williams said.

He now wants to duplicate that success.

Anchored by a flagship location, smaller 20,000-square-foot locations can service neighborhood needs.

“I love Madera Ranchos, I love Herndon (Avenue) and (Highway) 99, and I love Sunnyside, I think all three of those areas are in need for a Fresno Ag,” Williams said. “I don’t know if anybody’s been out towards Sanger West right now, but it is absolutely going gangbusters.”

Bucket Sales, 3,000 Hot Dogs for Celebration

Celebrations for the 150-year anniversary will begin the first weekend of June with what Williams describes as a “bucket sale,” meaning they can get 25% off “pretty much” whatever people can cram into a 5-gallon bucket.

Along with the sale, vendors will be out, and he’s already ordered 3,000 hot dogs for guests.

“I’m really hoping people come out to support us,” Williams said. “You know, we’re all about Fresno and we’re about keeping it local. I can’t tell the public how much I appreciate the support that they’ve given us these last 150 years and it’s important. We want to make good on our promises.”