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Treasure hunt: Leighty’s Flea Market offers row after row of bargains, oddities

By Holly Claycomb 6 min read

NEWRY -- Ryan Michaels drives a hearse, so it's not surprising that he collects -- and sells -- "oddities" like old funeral home embalming instruments, wooden dolls, wood cut art pieces and even a 10-foot boa constrictor skin.

The Beaverdale man, who said he searches for unique items because "life is short," was recently joined by his fiancee, Brianna Ramsey, at Leighty's Flea Market, where functional items can be found alongside fun and off-the-wall goods.

It's the variety that attracts shoppers of all ages, who, like Rhonda Tataleba of Berlin, might be looking for primitive household decor and tools.

"We come as much as we can," Tataleba said. "It's a nice place. ... You can find anything here."

With a grin, she admitted that she buys "perhaps more than we should" while at the same time paying for and then toting off a large fall-themed wall decoration.

For those who enjoy looking for bargains and for those who enjoy making a little extra spending money, Leighty's Flea Market is one of the last -- if not the very last -- outdoor events of its kind in Blair County.

Each Sunday morning, vendors and buyers alike flock to the area across the road from Leighty's Farm Market where, behind Leighty's Boot Warehouse, a world of possibilities await -- but only if the weather is nice, said Brent Leighty.

Leighty, who inherited the flea market from his dad, Don, after the elder Leighty passed away last year, said rainy, cool weather keeps most people away.

That's one of the reasons the flea market will wrap up its season at the end of this month. Bargain hunters shouldn't worry though, Leighty plans to reopen the venue again next spring.

Decades of market days

Leighty's Flea Market has been around probably 50 years, Leighty said.

"I don't know exactly when my dad started it. ... But I remember how he started it," he said, sharing the story about an older gentleman who asked Don Leighty if he "could sell his wares across the way from the farm market."

Don Leighty said yes and the flea market "snowballed from there," Brent Leighty said, with a few more people selling their wares each week until the cluster of vendors was officially named a flea market.

Advertisements his dad saved put the date somewhere in the early to mid 1970s, Leighty said.

While he mainly focuses on the boot and clothing business, Leighty said he has fond memories of going with his dad to see what was available, and then with his three daughters when they were young.

"They always loved to come down, spend their money, look for dolls or toys," he said.

Over the years, the flea market has had its ebbs and flows. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was closed and business was slow the following year, he said.

This year though, the 300 to 400 tables have often been filled when the weather cooperates.

"It's either really good or not," he said. "Come past on a Sunday when it's raining, there is nobody here. ... It's not as glamorous when it's raining."

Rows of bargains

On a good day, it's easy to spend a few hours walking up and down the rows of tables strewn with everything from peacock feathers and unused hamster cages to fine china pieces and extra silverware. There are vehicle parts, half packs of screws, nuts, bolts and nails, hammers, screwdrivers, posters, bed frames, tables, lamps and even decor items from days when avocado green was popular. There are also video games, bottles, cast iron pieces and pretty much anything else one can imagine.

"You never know what's going to be there," said Courtney Guyton of Bedford, who has been selling items at the flea market for at least 15 years.

Guyton not only sells his extra stuff, but also helps family members and friends get rid of their unwanted items, too.

He, along with many other vendors, also buys items at yard sales and auctions, keeps what he collects and resells the rest at the flea market.

"Like the old saying goes 'one man's junk is another man's treasure,'" Guyton said while rearranging his table after a sale.

He's found that old albums are making a comeback, so those go pretty quickly, and glassware is always in stock on tables. When he selects items to sell, he thinks of what people want.

"On average, I keep my stuff for three weeks. If I don't sell it, I drop the price to get rid of it or donate it," Guyton said.

Guyton said he's not at the market to "get rich" -- instead, he's making pocket change and having fun while people watching and striking up conversations.

Uranium glass, '90s memorabilia, Pokemon cards and "whatever looks nice" is what Wes Weyant, a self-described '90s child, is interested in purchasing.

Weyant, of Hollidaysburg, said he grew up with flea markets, as his dad, Bob Weyant, is often in the hunt for PRR items.

Vendor Leo McKenzie of Bedford also grew up around sales -- mostly auctions -- and said he's been in the flea marketing business for at least 50 years.

At 81, McKenzie is a regular, selling items picked up at estate sales, among others.

Salesmanship is in his blood, McKenzie said, as he was in direct sales for much of his career, at one time selling cookware.

He would go into homes and make the family meals using the cookware he was selling, he explained, laughing as he told stories of making meatloaf, potatoes, peas and corn ... and pots full of cabbage. "I told people I was making beans," he said, enjoying the looks on people's faces when he showed them that he cooked cabbage instead, all without the smell giving it away. For good reason, McKenzie said the cookware was popular.

'Definitely sentimental'

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the flea market isn't really the items available for sale -- though to be sure there are often glittery crystal items and cocktail rings tucked in alongside used books and rusty tin cans.

What visitors and vendors alike seem to agree on is how the flea market offers a shared camaraderie, of friendships made and renewed each week. It's the greetings and the stories that make Sunday market days special, they said.

"It's fun," Guyton said. "I like getting out and talking to people."

That sentiment was echoed by McKenzie, who said "I always enjoyed coming out here."

Hearing that people appreciate the flea market means a lot to Leighty, who said his dad started Leighty's Farm Market in the 1950s, after he got out of the Army.

Adding the flea market was something his dad enjoyed immensely, Leighty said. "It was his baby."

His aim is to keep the flea market going for as long as possible and admits it's "definitely a sentimental" endeavor.

"My dad loved it," he said.

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