Fresno Home Improvement Store Hit by Fifth Vandalism Incident, Faces $80,000 in Damage

A rock thrown through the front window of Home Crafters Spas and Barbeque triggered the store's alarm system just before 5 a.m. Friday, the fifth time in roughly 18 months that someone has targeted the Fresno home improvement store. The cumulative cost of repairs and boarding has climbed to approximately $80,000.

Store manager Terri Jory said the early morning call from the alarm company carried a familiar dread. "At 5 a.m., our alarm company contacted us and stated our alarm was showing glass breakage and honestly, we felt like here we go again," Jory said. Friday's attack marked the third incident in the past 12 months alone.

Several windows across the storefront remain boarded from previous strikes, each board representing a separate incident. Jory said replacing glass has done nothing to break the cycle. "When we replace those boards with the windows, we end up with boards again within 1-2 months, so it's a very frustrating cycle and obviously putting the glass up isn't stopping the issue," she said.

The damage has not been limited to rocks. In a prior incident, a car drove through the store's front door in a smash-and-grab, with the sole aim of stealing a grill. That brazenness, compounded by the sheer repetition of attacks, has taken a toll on how the business presents to customers. "We strive to be a high-end reputable place to visit, and it's not appearing so when you walk up, and there are boards in the window," Jory said.

Store management suspects people experiencing homelessness are responsible, pointing to encampments that have taken root directly in front of the storefront. "We believe it's a lot of the homeless because there is a huge group of homeless around and they're in front of our stores and they sleep in front of our store and nothing's being done about it," Jory said. Fresno police are investigating.

Home Crafters is not alone. Colorado Grill, a burger restaurant at Herndon Avenue and Blackstone in Northeast Fresno, was vandalized roughly 20 times in the past five years under nearly identical circumstances, with attackers using large rocks to break glass. Owner Hossein Nekumanesh estimates each incident costs between $1,000 and $2,500 in boards and repairs. "It's not a personal attack, it's a societal problem," Nekumanesh said.

The serial attacks unfold against a Fresno property crime backdrop that consistently ranks among the worst in California. Fresno residents face a 1-in-30 chance of becoming a property crime victim, based on 2024 FBI figures, and the city's overall crime rate sits 39% above the national average. Larceny and theft specifically run 68% above the national average. The Public Policy Institute of California found that Fresno County property crime rose 1.8% from 2023 to 2024, one of only three of California's 15 largest counties to see an increase. Fresno Police Department figures offer a partial counterpoint: burglaries fell more than 31% in 2025 compared to 2024, and overall vandalism and theft incidents also declined year over year.

The homelessness dimension has already driven at least one other business off the Blackstone corridor entirely. Jeb's Blueberry Hill, a popular breakfast spot at Blackstone and Dakota avenues, relocated to Old Town Clovis in late 2024 after co-owner Ruby Martinez cited drug activity, vandalism, fires, and attempted break-ins tied to homelessness. The 2025 Point-in-Time Count recorded a 3% increase in overall homelessness in the Fresno-Madera region and a 10% rise in unsheltered homelessness. Despite 4,474 encampment removals in Fresno County between July 2021 and February 2026 under state-funded programs, including a sweep by Governor Gavin Newsom's SAFE Task Force as recently as October 2025, the encampments have persisted. Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza, whose district covers much of Blackstone Avenue, has publicly acknowledged the frustration building among business owners along the corridor.