One woman traded her house for a bar. Thirty years later, her daughter bet on it all over again.

In 1985, Gladys Georgina found herself starting over.

At 54, newly divorced after 27 years of marriage and with five grown daughters, she had something she hadn’t had in a very long time: freedom. What she didn’t have was an established career—or much interest in starting one at the bottom.

Gladys had some waitressing experience and landed a bartending job at a small neighborhood bar in Montalvo, only to be fired later for being “too old.” So she decided that if working for someone else had its drawbacks, perhaps she should work for herself.

She wanted to own a bar.

And she had her eye on one practically next door.

The struggling establishment had previously been a Mexican restaurant called Ernesto’s and was then operating as The El Matador. Gladys approached the owners with an unconventional proposition: her house in exchange for their bar.

Friends and family thought she was crazy. The bar wasn’t thriving, and people were quick to remind her how many bars and restaurants failed. Gladys ignored them. The owners accepted the trade.

Now she just needed a name.

Her youngest daughter, Julie, suggested using the initials from her mother’s first and middle names: Gladys Georgina. G.G. — GiGi’s.

Then serendipity stepped in. While visiting a sign company, Gladys spotted an old sign sitting in a corner that already read “GiGi’s.” It had been removed from another business and was for sale. A martini glass and the words “Cocktail Lounge” were added, and GiGi’s Cocktail Lounge was born. 

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Gladys took naturally to bar ownership. She ran a tight ship, expected professionalism from her bartenders and, in the process, created a neighborhood gathering place filled with pool, music and plenty of laughter.

She remained involved with GiGi’s for the next 30 years, until her death in 2015. When the family decided to sell the bar, Julie stepped in. 

Julie had returned to Ventura in 2008 after spending much of two decades in Manhattan with a career background in advertising. She began bartending and managing for her mother, establishing GiGi’s social-media presence, developing its brand and overseeing entertainment.

She was also quietly redesigning the place in her head.

“I would sit there and draw designs over and over again and come up with the best layout and textures for the bar,” Julie says. “I did that for about 10 years.”

Gladys had been perfectly happy with GiGi’s the way it was. Julie loved what it was—but could see what it might become.

When the opportunity came to buy the bar, she took it.

What Was Above the Ceiling

Julie’s plans included removing the old drop ceiling and exposing the rafters above it. Contractors told her it would be too labor-intensive. She was also told walls she wanted removed couldn’t come down.

Like her mother before her, she wasn’t particularly interested in being told something couldn’t be done.

Then the pandemic closed California bars, creating an unexpected opportunity to undertake the renovation GiGi’s could never have completed while operating normally.

Two bartenders helped Julie scrub years of grime from the newly exposed rafters by hand. Wiring, insulation and decades of debris came down. Walls came out. Brick, real wood and texture went in.

“I was very naive about the renovation process,” Julie laughs. “I thought, ‘Oh, it’ll just take a couple weeks.’ It turned out to be a really big endeavor, but it was worth it.”

GiGi’s reopened with its new look in March 2021. The result was something Julie had envisioned for years: refreshed without losing the character and history that made GiGi’s feel like GiGi’s. 

Everybody, All Walks of Life

The building changed, but Julie’s larger goal was about the people inside it.

“I always had a desire to make this bar as diverse as possible,” she says. “I wanted GiGi’s to be a place for everybody, of all walks of life, to feel at home and comfortable.”

That philosophy shows up in an intentionally eclectic entertainment lineup: karaoke five nights a week, free stand-up comedy on Wednesdays, and live music spanning genres and featuring local and touring acts.

“What I hear people say most when they walk in is that they just love the vibe,” Julie says. 

Today, GiGi’s opens early seven days a week and stays open until 2 a.m., with happy hour daily from 3 to 7 p.m., plus a lesser-known morning happy hour featuring Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers. A patio expansion is also underway to create more room for music, comedy, games and gatherings. 

Whether you’re watching a band, singing karaoke, shooting a game of pool or simply having a drink and a conversation, the heart of GiGi’s remains much the same as the place Gladys created more than 40 years ago.

It’s a place to pull up a chair and get comfortable. Chances are, you’ll want to stay awhile.