The interior was lined with benches and the walls were covered in candles inside the Kitty Cat Klub. A garage door in the front of the store opened up during warmer days. The bar stood on the left near the stairs leading to the bathroom. 

The old Ragstock building contained no air conditioning and was usually dark. In the back, stairs led up to another seating room with busted-up couches, allowing people to converse without being directly involved in the music. 

Found below Annie’s Parlour, the club opened in 2002 and closed, originally temporarily, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. When it was open, it held live music from DJs, aspiring musicians and anyone willing to go on stage. 

Matt Hawbaker, a former University of Minnesota student who works at The Book House, said he played music there and used the space to study while he attended the University.

“It was definitely a big part of my school experience, and after that, pretty much the only place in this area I would like to drink, especially after college,” Hawbaker said. 

Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association Executive Director Chris Lautenschlager said what separated the Kitty Cat Klub from other bars in Dinkytown was the lack of University-themed merchandise inside.

“It wasn’t a college bar. There were no TVs and there was also no tap beer,” Lautenschlager said. “The Kitty Cat Klub did not have special drink menus like exotic cocktails that you’ll find in most other places. They had a happy hour special from four to seven, and that was really it.” 

Outside of live music, there was a pinball machine and photo booth as another form of entertainment for anyone. 

The club attracted bands from across the country to play in the dark yet lively club, Lautenschlager said. 

“It was an eclectic and strangely designed (place),” Lautenschlager said. 

The club decor matched a “hip Dracula vibe,” according to former Kitty Cat Klub employee  Alex Ward. 

Ward said he performed as a musician and worked as a bouncer in the club. 

The club hosted many different theme nights which brought in different crowds, Ward said. A few theme nights included Hipshakers, Funk/Soul Night, Disco Night, Monday Night Noise Night and DJs on the weekend, Ward added. 

“You didn’t have this expectation that you had to pack in,” Ward said. “You know, you could just maybe get the first name you were ever in and just try something. It was very experimental, like an incubator for whole scenes.” 

Lizzo, Ava Luna, Sweet Spirit and Ed Schrader’s Music Beat were some of the musicians who played at the club, according to Concert Archives. 

Kitty Cat Klub and Annie’s Parlour’s former owner John Rimarcik passed away last December, leaving the business to his sons Tom and Tony Rimarcik. Repairs, labor costs and the pandemic halted renovations to the club. 

Ward said he is glad Annie’s Parlour returned but wishes the Kitty Cat Klub did as well. 

The University Police Department leased out the club as a safety hub for Dinkytown in early September. Study spaces, self-defense classes and student legal services can be found there. 

When word of the club’s official closing got out, Lautenschlager said people showed disapproval but he acknowledged the club would not have been the same. 

“The old version would have never come back and would have disappointed people just as much,” Lautenschlager said. 

Kitty Cat Club left a legacy in Dinkytown and Minneapolis that will be missed, Hawbaker said.

“It’s just a totally different thing,” Hawbaker said. “It was so sophisticated.”