By MATT PATNEAUDE

Midway through breakfast, you get a funny feeling that someone, or something is watching you. Turning around, you realize that it is just a wooden gargoyle looking over the restaurant from its perch on a shelf high above.

The sinister-looking gargoyle is one of hundreds of collectibles on display in Lake City's Breakfast Club restaurant. From the front door to the back, shelves and cabinets are lined with everything from an old Remington typewriter to replicas of Homer and Bart Simpson.

A porcelain cat with orange and brown stripes is one item that has drawn many comments from the restaurant's patrons. One young boy was convinced that the cat was real.

Breakfast Club owners Mike McCauley and Karen McCann have collected items throughout their lives. Mike says that he has always collected trinkets, especially "anything cool looking." Karen began collecting Coke and Pepsi bottles before moving into her favorite items, banks.

Her collection includes piggy banks, slot machine banks, and a starship bank. The starship bank consists of a rocket and a globe. A coin is placed on the rocket and then blasted into a slot in the globe. Karen has banks from Japan, Thailand, Australia, Egypt, Hong Kong, China, England, Canada, and many different states.

The collectibles are often given to Mike and Karen by friends, family, and customers who have been traveling. Garage sales and thrift shops are other places where interesting items are found.

Recently, Karen began collecting cartoon characters such as Marvin the Martian, the Tasmanian Devil, Tigger, Batman, and Snoopy. Lining the cabinet near the front of the restaurant are a whole host of characters from the "Land Before Time."

A couple of noticeable items at the Breakfast Club could be described as the Fab Two. These are ceramic figurines of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr complete with bobbing heads. Missing are the John Lennon and George Harrison figurines who "died" in a 1970 earthquake. Karen's sister bought the Beatles set in 1963.

Customers like to get up from their tables and look at the variety of items on display. While the objects aren't labeled for sale, people can make an offer if they really want something.

Two things that have been sold were a condor made of papier mache and a pair of decorated antlers. The only item that has been officially valued is a sailor bank worth $95.

Maybe someone will make a reasonable offer for the gargoyle. If so, your favorite breakfast food can be enjoyed without the feeling that you are being watched.

The Breakfast Club is located at 12306 Lake City Way NE.