On 4th Street sits the retro-chic establishment Baby Gee built from the love story of owners Gianna Johns and Daniel Flores.
Their story begins in 2014 when an industry friend introduced the two. Both Gianna and Daniel were working in the restaurant industry when a mutual friend invited them out to dinner. The dinner was thought of as a double date situation by the other attendees, but Gianna had a partner at the time.
Despite the confusion of the dinner being a date, Gianna and Daniel got along well and decided to be friends. After two years of a growing friendship, they started dating.
“For me, it was pretty much love at first sight,” Daniel said. “I told my friend that I thought I was going to marry her someday but that was unbeknownst to her.”
“It has been confirmed from said friend,” Gianna continued. “When he told me he said that I was like, ‘yeah right,’ but our friend confirmed.”
Since then, Gianna and Daniel worked together, went on dates, traveled, and eventually got engaged right before opening Baby Gee’s in December of 2022. They knew that they wanted to venture into owning their own business and decided to bring their own vibe to the Long Beach cocktail scene.
When it came time to the name, Daniel thought it would be special to name the bar after Gianna, using her popular nickname ‘Baby Gee’ and opting for a cute vintage-esque name. Baby Gee was originally a name used by family and close friends, which later evolved into a frequent nickname for her.
“Different groups of friends call me that just by accident without me ever telling anyone that that was really my nickname, and that just kind of happened,” Gianna said. “And I’ve also often been like the younger side of my friend group. So I always get told that I look younger than I am too. So I think that’s why I always get ‘G,’ it’s what’s natural to people, and then my close friends usually turn it into ‘Baby G.’”
The name perfectly captured the aesthetic of the bar and doubled as a tribute to Gianna’s nickname, and so Baby Gee on 4th Street was born. Since opening the bar, Gianna and Daniel have only grown closer together.
The bar was a true passion project built from the ground up. Gianna created their logo, website, artwork, and cocktail menu. Meanwhile, Daniel took charge of the food and, along with one of the bartenders, did all the construction in the bar.
“It’s been a real amazing experience of getting to know each other even like on a deeper level, like even though we’ve been together for a long time,’ Daniel said. “Opening the bar together was like a brand new chapter in our relationship and communication and like working through
differences and all that stuff took on a whole new meaning and a whole new dynamic because now we have this thing you know, it’s like a baby.”
“Yeah, it’s interesting to be with someone so long and then to do something like this together and realize there’s a lot more to know about you,” Gianna continued. “And it’s exciting to know that after eight or nine years together, that you can still be surprised.”
Gianna and Daniel will be celebrating Baby Gee’s one-year anniversary on Feb. 25, but before that, they’re preparing for Valentine’s Day. Having worked many Valentine’s Days at restaurants, Gianna and Daniel recall the times that they had the night off but had nowhere to go because places were full with reservations.
“That’s why we wanted to do something that was really easy and approachable and you didn’t have to make reservations for and you didn’t have to have plans and you didn’t have to commit to a prefix menu,” Gianna said.
Gianna is a big Valentine’s Day fan and Baby Gee’s has prepared special surprises for the occasion. On the 14th, Baby Gee will have spaghetti for two, inspired by the famous Lady and The Tramp scene. They’ll also have Valentine’s cocktail specials that come with complimentary hand-drawn Valentine cards that they’ll mail to you.
Gianna and Daniel continue to be a dynamic duo of friends, lovers and business owners to soon be married.
For more information on Baby Gee, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
What's Your Reaction?
