Hanna's Town marks a half-century of antiques and collectibles sale

From coffee mills and rolling pins to milk glass and empty bottles of questionable medicinal “cures,” vintage and antique shoppers had plenty to choose from Sunday at the 50th annual Hanna’s Town Antiques & Collectibles market.

After a rainy Saturday, attendees and vendors couldn’t have asked for better weather than the bright, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.

The market opened at 7:30 a.m., and Forbes Road firefighters handling parking said they counted more than 650 cars by 11:30 a.m.

“May is not usually as active as it is today,” said Jim Clayton, a Hanna’s Town board member and one of a number of volunteers who organize the market. “This is a very good year, and the vendors are really happy because the customers have been steady.”

That included vendors like Chris Stephenson of Mercer County, whose table had a wide variety of items including old medicine bottles with names like “Three Crow Witch Hazel,” “Death to Pain” and “Lee’s Save the Baby.”

“It’s an evolving industry based on what someone says is popular at the time,” said Stephenson, who’s been coming to the Hanna’s Town market for more than two decades. “A few years ago when Martha Stewart said (the mineral) jadite is in, stuff we had sitting in our basements was suddenly worth twice the price.”

For other vendors, such as John Raymond of Greensburg, the market is not an annual stop.

“I collect postcards, and there is a lot of that here this year,” he said.

Amy Hepler took a break from running Scamp’s Toffee in Ligonier to stop by the market for the first time. She found a Majolica plate, heavyweight clay pottery with a leaf in its center.

“I’m always looking for something new,” she said.

Both Hepler and the vendor she was speaking with had the same approach to antiquing.

“I buy everything,” the vendor said, agreeing with Hepler. “You have to buy a little bit for all different groups. If you come here just trying to sell one thing, it’s not usually going to work out.”

In recognition of the 50th anniversary, vendors also received a pass to visit the Hanna’s Town exhibit gallery.

Michael Dorman came all the way from Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield to check out the market.

“I try to come here when I can,” he said. “I found a very nice old music box.”

The market will take place once a month through the fall. The dates are June 11, July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10 and Oct. 8 at 809 Forbes Trail Road in Hempfield.

For more information, including vendor details, call 724-846-1800.