Tyler Colton on the Bar Owner Experience in Reno

Tyler Colton moved to Reno from New York about 6 years ago to transition from a long career as a professional celebrity hair stylist into a bar owner and operator here in the Biggest Little City. Named after his cat, he opened The Emerson in Midtown as a craft cocktail bar staffed and supplied by women (as much as possible) and designed to feel like an upscale hotel lobby bar- a great place for a date.

In those 6 years, The Emerson has grown to be a mainstay in the Midtown neighborhood, winning Best Local Bar in the Reno News and Review the last two years in a row. Tyler also had to deal with the covid pandemic, which he described as a blessing in disguise, and multiple curveballs from the City of Reno along the way.

Cabaret licenses, live entertainment restrictions, conditional use permits, public comments, planning codes, and more are huge parts of the process in operating a local drinking establishment. And of course let's not forget that South Virginia Street had major overhaul during this time as well, with a hotly-debated median and roundabout installed.

On this episode of Renoites, we talked about the journey and the challenges of opening and operating the bar, the most important thing for new business owners to consider and plan for, the important decision of what kind of city Reno is going to grow into being, the introduction of major outdoor events like Dancing in the Street and Northern Nevada Pride to Midtown, his upcoming new bar The Selden (an LGBTQ+ cabaret style bar in the former Junkee building), ideas for revamping Virginia Street again but with bike lanes and parking, and much more!

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