Juan Villa / The Collegian

When customers walk into The Laundry Room, on the corner of Nees and Palm, they will notice an artsy side to everything.

Since its opening in January, The Laundry Room, a high-end fashion boutique, has enlightened and familiarized its customers with the owners̢۪ favorite designers.

The shop was a dream come true for brothers Joey and Jonah Pauline.

While still in high school, they aspired to start their own skate shop, but realized that fashion was becoming more dominant in the skate industry.

“We just started to get influenced by high design,â€Â Joey said.

Juan Villa / The Collegian

The brothers eventually opened a men̢۪s-only boutique called Libertine, which earned them much acclaim, but the demand for women̢۪s items gave them the inspiration to open The Laundry Room.

Libertine closed in September of 2007 so that they could start work on their new prospect.

The brothers took a do-it-yourself approach to the building and decorating of the store.

They helped make the overall plans for the shop, had the walls put up and painted the whole store themselves, decorating it to resemble an art gallery.

The store makes the unconventional practical with a coffee table made of cement and a metal frame and the counter tops made of cement slab.

George Oh, an employee of the shop and friend of the brothers, said the store has been the brothers̢۪ dream.

“These guys love what they do,â€Â Oh said.

Oh saw the store as an attempt “to create a lifestyle for those who love fashion.â€Â

“Boutiques, especially like this one, I consider like an art exhibit,â€Â Oh said. “They pick the artists and the pieces.â€Â

Oh also said the store has regular customers, rush periods and quick shopping trips for those that need something new before they go out at night.

“A lot of people will cruise through to grab clothes to go club in,â€Â Oh said pointing toward a local club at the opposite end of the parking lot.

Jonah emphasized that they aim to give back to their customers.

“We try to lead people into what’s their comfortable fashion,â€Â Jonah said. “We also try to push the overall style and not just the fashion.â€Â

The two brothers also try to get others involved in community events, as well as the local music scene.
“We want people to take a different dose from Fresno’s culture,â€Â Jonah said. “We try to bring not just clothing, but new bands and sounds.â€Â

The shop has housed several events, including a concert for the popular electronic act-Robopop, as well as a private after party for Chuck Lidell that followed the last “Rumble in the Parkâ€Â Mixed Martial Arts event.

They plan to have a show at the store that will feature an indie rock band and a big name underground hip hop artist, neither of which could be announced.

The brothers also currently have their own clothing line, Laundry Line Clothing, but want to start an entire line that will also feature shoes. They plan to begin working on this early next year.

The boutique is a luxury store, meaning prices can be a bit expensive for some, but it does have its occasional sales.

For this year̢۪s Black Friday, which will be on Nov. 28, everything will be marked from 25-90 percent off.
The event will kick off at 6 a.m. with free mimosas and coffee until noon.

There will be a hosted bar, as well as “walking hor d’ oeuvresâ€Â available from noon until midnight.

The Laundry Room

For any information on the store, or future events, just visit the store or their Web sites.

̢ۢ 7835 N. Palm Ave., Fresno, Ca.

̢ۢ www.the-laundry-room.com

̢ۢ www.myspace.com/libertinelaundry.