Mike Faust

BY SARAH MATARELLA

PHOTO BY JOHN A. SECOGES, SECOGES PHOTOGRAPHICS

Retired WEEU radio personality, “Mighty Mike” Faust, 55, turned his passion for uncovering and reselling one-of-a-kind items into his fulltime job at 53. He honed his broadcasting expertise and extroverted personality to grow his online store and YouTube channel, Pickin’ Weeds Vintage, with his wife Kristi over the last two years.

Q:Is there anything that you miss from your 28-year tenure on the radio?

I miss the listeners, callers, advertisers and staff. The other thing I miss, especially around the holidays, is when we did the live broadcasts. They were like a party. There is also one time when I wish I was back in the chair, and that is when gas hit $5 a gallon on a Saturday. I wanted to get the feedback of the local people on that Monday.

Q: What was the catalyst for your transition to retirement?

For so many years hosting Feedback, I had to talk about Medicare, social security, property taxes and politics, and there were some weeks when I’d come home and be exhausted because of the heavy topics…I still get to do broadcasting via YouTube and Facebook Live and all these other social media sites. I'm so excited about the future and where broadcasting is going. And, now

I get to talk about the things that I like, such as history and travel, so this phase of my life is one I'm really, really enjoying.

Q:When did your interest in vintage items and reselling start?

I was fortunate growing up in Berks County to have so many great places to go picking, including Renninger’s in Kutztown, which is known as the antique capital of the U.S., and the Green Dragon in Lancaster County. My interest in flea markets, vintage items and antiques started when I was a boy. I remember taking field trips when I was at Conrad Weiser, and we would go to Crystal Cave, Gettysburg, etc. and we’d bring home souvenirs. I also remember when eBay came out, and I made an account in 1999 where I first started buying and selling.

Q:When did you decide to dive into Pickin’ Weeds Vintage full-time?

I had done it part-time and was working seven days a week. On the weekends in the little time that I had, I would go out picking and looking for cool things to flip as a reseller and content creator. We had a booth at the Stubborn Dutchman Antique Mall at the time, and I always had to refresh it with new items. My phone was still ringing as the operations manager to talk people through different things at WEEU, and I just got to the point where I was 53 and ready to try something else.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

My passions are the things that –there was a saying years ago – make your vocation your vacation. And, honestly, I feel like I'm really doing that at 55. I love what I do so much: making the [YouTube] shorts, making the long format video, doing the live videos. It really is my passion. And honestly, there are days when I can't wait to get up and do my morning short…as soon as it gets light out, I want to jump out of bed and that's the first thing I do…I'm always thinking of ideas, what music I’ll put underneath the video and how I’m going to edit.

Q: What can people see on the Pickin’ Weeds Vintage channel & store this year?

We went back to the 127, the world's longest yard sale at 690 miles long (spanning six states), the first weekend in August. When we went, we put 2,000 miles on the van round trip in four days. It was our fourth year.

Learn More

Tune in. Join Mike & his wife on their journey with Pickin’ Weeds Vintage by subscribing to their YouTube Channel @pickinweedsvintage and following them on Facebook & TikTok.

Advice from Mike. It’s never too late to pursue your passion.