Trisha Reed-Fike's description of Guthrie’s Alley Cat bar can also be used to explain the origins of its name.
“It’s kind of what you see is what you get,” said Reed-Fike, who runs the day-to-day of the downtown Bakersfield bar that was first established in 1940 and resides in the alley on Wall Street near Eye Street.
Guthrie’s bar and cafe had been at the location where Crash Lounge now is on Eye Street.
“When my uncle (Mancel) Shorty Guthrie bought (the Alley Cat), he cut a hole to go through back and forth (from the cafe to Alley Cat),” Reed-Fike said. “Once he let that space (on Eye Street) go because evidently he was not getting along with the building owner and wanted to part ways, once that lease was up, he locked the door (between the two businesses), took the Guthrie's sign and put it up here (at Alley Cat).”
There was no reason to remove the iconic cat on the sign, only add Guthrie’s to it.
In 1976, Reed-Fike’s parents, Kenny Reed, and his wife, Dana (Shorty’s sister), bought the bar from Shorty’s estate.
The literal meaning of alley cat is a homeless cat that scavenges for food in alleys. The slang meaning of alley cat, from many years ago, is a promiscuous woman.
Alley Cat — the name fits and that’s basically how the bar got its name. It was established in an alley.
Reed-Fike said that when she was growing up, she remembers the Wall Street alley as a typical alley with garbage cans. The street was covered in blacktop. Long before then, it was a dirt alley.
“It’s not the nice, tree-lined, lit street that you see now,” she said. “In 2001, a revitalization project was on the table and my dad was instrumental in pushing that through.”
Guthrie’s Alley Cat’s home became a pilot project for other alleys in Bakersfield, Reed-Fike said. She now refers to the area as a “glorified alley.”
However the bar’s vintage style remains. Only a few changes have been made. It used to open at 6 a.m., but it now opens at 9. It’s still a cash-only bar.
The bar and its customers seemingly have as many stories as the drinks poured. Many of the stories come from the entertaining photos and colorful murals on the wall.
“We have a way of getting in the bloodstream,” Reed-Fike said. “We’re family-operated. We treat everyone like family. People feel invested in our lives. We feel invested in theirs. We have a look and a feel that comes with time. We’re old and worn but we are appreciative of all our vintage finishes. We try to take care of that stuff. I think our customers appreciate that about us. We’re not trying to be anything but the old, family-owned bar.”