Gloucester High School junior and former Gloucester Museum of History intern Lauren Landry stars in a new video for Gloucester County where she interviews Benjamin “Benny” Leigh Jr. Leigh is a familiar name in Gloucester, as he along with his parents, ran Leigh’s Market on Gloucester’s Main Street.

Gloucester Museum’s Coordinator Robert Kelly said the interview was completely Landry’s idea. Landry said when her internship at the museum started, Kelly told her to focus on a project she could get down during the summer that could add to museum.

Landry said her inspiration came from her love of her community. To her, Leigh’s Market was a piece of Gloucester’s recent history that was all but forgotten. The building that housed the store had long since been demolished and so much time had passed. The video keeps the memory of the beloved store preserved.

Landry knew Leigh through his granddaughter, a close friend of hers. Landry said when she pitched the interview to Leigh, he loved the idea and was excited to reminisce on the time he spent at the market. He had even invited Landry and members of Gloucester County into his home for the filming.

Leigh’s Market had opened on Gloucester Main Street in the 1960s and served the people of Gloucester until it closed in 1992. It was opened by Benjamin “Buck” Leigh Sr. who ran the business with his wife Evelyn and son Benny. In the video, Leigh tells stories about the store and explains what made it so special.

Landry said it was a great experience to have worked with the museum and the county to make the video. Kelly said the work Landry did really shows the value of the museum’s internship program as those that come through seem to leave their marks on the museum.

The video is currently live with two versions, a condensed interview and a full-length interview. Both can be found at gloucesterva.gov/museum-of-history.