Journalists and others got a sneak peek at the downtown Fresh & Easy store Friday.

The company held a press conference to announce opening dates (this one opens Jan. 13, more dates here).

A couple things that caught my interest:

1. Fresh & Easy offers all its employees a minimum of 20 hours a week, which entitles them to medical, dental and vision insurance. The company pays 75% of the cost and also matches 401(k) contributions. Starbucks also offers benefits to part timers, but that seems to be fairly unusual, especially in these economics times.

2. The mosaic mural out front was recently completed by local artist Stan Bitters. The artwork includes a river flowing from a dam. I'm told the developers sought out feedback from the community before implementing the design, not wanting a repeat of the Tower District mural fiasco.

Edited to add: Stan Bitters just called to chat about his mural. He says the conversations with the Fresno Arts Council and Fresh & Easy didn't happen because they were trying to avoid another Tower District mural situation. Rather, they were focusing on the past and the future of Fresno. That includes the ghost of a high-speed rail image and a river full of salmon.