Yetta Leshner | Antiques dealer, 96

Yetta Leshner, 96, of Edgewater, N.J., a former dealer on Philadelphia's Antique Row, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at Van Dyk Manor in Ridgewood, N.J.

Mrs. Leshner attended William Penn High School and wed Harry Leshner, a young veteran, in 1932. The longtime resident of Academy House in Center City spent the early years of her marriage raising the couple's son, Martin. She moved to be near him several years ago, after her husband died in 1993.

Mrs. Leshner developed her interest in antiques while visiting flea markets with her husband. She opened her first store in West Philadelphia, not far from the University of Pennsylvania, in the 1950s, her son said. She established a second store at 926 Pine St.

She became a savvy businesswoman during her 10 years as a dealer, her son said.

"Twenty percent of her sales were people strolling casually down Pine Street," he said. The rest were antiques professionals from the South who "would load a truck and take it back." Mrs. Leshner left the business in the late 1970s, he said.

Her hobbies included reading, baking, doing crossword puzzles, and spending time with family and friends, her son said.

No funeral is scheduled.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 Union St., Suite 301, Robbinsville, N.J. 08691.