Bistro to feature ‘Shoe ‘n Shine’ concept

Gina Rohrer is rolling the dice on her own business in Carson City, working to open a bistro and gaming establishment for ladies and gents with a yearning for fun.

Bringing years of experience to the night spot she’s calling Living the Good Life, which is taking shape on the southwest corner of North Carson and West Adams streets, Rohrer is five or six weeks from opening. Among her ideas to attract customers is a Friday night event she calls “Shoe ‘n Shine,” a fun and funky concept designed to attract women with a penchant for donning top drawer footwear to match night-on-the-town outfits.

“I’m hoping to open July 19,” said Rohrer, but that is dependent on finishing up interior work on the former Sushi restaurant building, plus getting her ducks in a row regarding permits, hiring and the like.

“Things seem to be going all right,” she said of work with city officials to get permits, fire code compliance and other matters lined up. She said interior decor and related work are about half done. Community Development Director Lee Plemel said earlier he was aware things were moving forward.

Rohrer said she has been in the bistro business since age 13, when she began serving food to customers in family firms her father has run over his lifetime. Frank Perez, who now has The Polo Lounge in Reno, is helping his grown daughter get matters lined up but the establishment will be hers. Perez has had more than a dozen establishments in the Bay area and Northern Nevada.

Rohrer said she wants Living the Good Life to attract fun-loving people of all ages, particularly the 25-65 crowd. She will want to feature pleasant surroundings and her logo, which will be featured in the decor, “Because Nice Matters.” She said she intends to run the place with her gut, heart and soul, not a No. 2 pencil, but is aware any business must pencil out on the books.

The establishment will be between fine dining outlets both to the north and downtown, she said, so she sees an after dinner niche her place can fill. She said good establishments do well. “Jack Daniels and Folgers don’t go out of business,” she said.

Rohrer, keying on Northern Nevada’s ubiquitous “Show ‘n Shine” classic and hot rod car shows, calls her Friday night concept the “Living the Good Life Shoe ‘n Shine — Bling If You Must” event. She intends nightly to serve tapas, mix and match appetizers, desserts, after dinner drinks and other libations, plus offer Sunday and Monday ribs and garlic fries.

The former Sushi restaurant is 3,200 square feet and has off-street parking for about 20, with more on Adams not far from the door. Hours, Rohrer said, will be noon to midnight Sunday and Monday, noon to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. She intends to employ a day manager already in the fold, perhaps a half dozen others, overseeing the night crew herself. Rohrer, in Carson City since 1996, says her dad is her mentor.

“We started in the Bay area,” she said, “He’s giving me advice and helping me out. He taught me everything I know.”