The Bargain Barrel offers yard sale denizens a new place to shop and gives people who lack the space to hold one another option.

Phil Petty, owner of Bargain Barrel, said people looking to sell their trinkets, collectables and whatever else has been sitting around their house, can rent a space for $25. The space is in front of the store with a 10 x 10 canopy table, Petty said.

Petty started Bargain Barrel three years ago because he said he accumulates a large quantity of items and hates to take them to the local landfill, as most people can use what he has to offer.

The quaint little shop tucked away between Dairy Queen and Kentucky Fried Chicken on the corner of Third Street and Vattier, displays used angle iron, post cards, tables, desks, framed pictures, assorted chairs, sewing machines, microwaves, jewelry, dishes and much more for anyone hunting for a good deal.

Tuesday through Friday, Petty's daughter, Kelsey Currie, minds the store while Petty works his regular job as the official organizer for the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters. Petty runs the store Saturdays.

Along with the furniture and collectibles, Chicken, the store's pet cat, can be found running around or lying in the window, waiting to charm the potential patrons with a dainty meow and a gentle rub against their leg.

Petty said his daughter began feeding the cat about a year ago. They named the cat Chicken because it was extremely shy and ran when anyone made a move in its direction.

Currie started by setting a bowl of food outside near the door. Using food as a lure, she finally tamed the once wild kitten and let it take up residence.

"I think a lot of customers come in just to see her," Petty said of Chicken. "And most of them know her by name."

Petty said he has several regular customers come in on a weekly or biweekly basis. Repeat customers include students from the drama department at K-State. They come in looking for props for their plays.

He said he is busiest at the beginning of each semester when new students move in; desks and chairs are the students' primary purchases.

The other big sellers are used angle iron, scrap metal and piping. He said there is no salvage yard in Manhattan and local farmers and ranchers come in regularly to buy it.

Petty said four antique dealers come in once or twice a month and occasionally find a treasure he has acquired from a silent auction or bought out-right from someone.

Due to the recession, Petty said he has seen a large increase in people interested in selling things.

"Sometimes they outnumber the customers," he said.