Laugh Factory sets sights for new comedy club in Fresno — ‘the place to really invest’
A partner in the Laugh Factory chain of comedy clubs says the company will “definitely” be opening a location in Fresno, possibly within three to six months, depending on the site that is chosen.
Some Fresno restaurants, nightclubs, breweries and other venues host occasional comedy shows or open mic nights, but the city currently does not have a stand-alone comedy club.
Joseph Merhi, a Los Angeles entrepreneur, told The Fresno Bee that he’s considering three or four different possible sites in Fresno, including in the downtown area, and expects to make a final decision and sign a lease for a location, perhaps as soon as this week.
He said he’s looking at sites of 5,000-to-10,000 square feet that can accommodate a 300- to 600-seat comedy club that would also have bar and food services. Once a site is selected, “we want to try to open as soon as possible,” he said.
Merhi and his partner, Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada, have seven locations for stand-up comedy, led by the company’s flagship comedy club launched in 1979 on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Additional locations are in Chicago, San Diego, Las Vegas, Reno, Long Beach and Covina.
In addition to his partnership in the Laugh Factory chain, Merhi – a native of Syria – is also a producer and director of independent films and television shows.
At a Wednesday luncheon in Fresno hosted by the Maddy Institute to discuss downtown revitalization, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said he believed a comedy club would attract audiences to the area. “I would love to see a comedy shop downtown,” he said, nodding to Merhi. “We need the Laugh Factory here in downtown Fresno, to put you on the spot.”
Merhi praised Dyer’s efforts to court the Laugh Factory, but he was noncommittal about whether a downtown location would ultimately be chosen. “The young people tell me that downtown Fresno, and Fresno in general, is the place to really invest,” Merhi said.
By contrast, he said, the company has confronted delays in its negotiations for a location in San Francisco. “I don’t want to badmouth San Francisco, but … it’s been really difficult,” he said. “We’ve been in negotiations with the city to rent one of their buildings that’s been empty for five years or so, and we’re having a very difficult time. Any time we ask for anything, they need three weeks to answer back.”
The most recent location opened earlier this year in Covina, where Merhi and the company set up shop inside an old theater, across the street from an Italian restaurant that he and Masada own.
The Covina location happened “really by accident,” Merhi said, “I went there and I loved the theater in downtown Covina, and we decided to open the Laugh Factory.” The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that the Laugh Factory opened inside the city-owned Covina Center for the Performing Arts
