After reading recently that the Oxford Town Commission agreed to buy the historic Mews property on South Morris Street, I found myself harking back to 1976-1977 when a gregarious shop owner and his Baltimore television-celebrity wife operated an unusual store.
The Oxford Mews Bike Boutique included a Schwinn bicycle shop and an art gallery offering general merchandise and gourmet food, including McCormick spices and meats to fill boaters’ galleys. What really differentiated the store was Ed Vinnicombe, a former high-performing executive at McCormick & Co. with a personality that almost compelled you to buy something.
Frankly, I don’t recall his wife, Sylvia Scott, a host for 17 years of a popular afternoon show, “The Woman’s Angle,” on Baltimore’s WMAR-TV. I suspect she was content allowing her outgoing husband to run the shop. She bought the merchandise, from metal polish to olives soaked in vermouth.
In the early days of TV in Baltimore, Sylvia Scott, incredibly prepared as she was beautifully dressed, with well-coiffed hair, was a major presence, with a sizable following.
In her obituary in The Baltimore Sun, Richard Sher, a longtime WJZ-TV personality, said, ‘”In her day, she was Miss Television in Baltimore. She was the definition of the local TV superstar…she always had great taste…was meticulous about everything she did…took care to find the right foods, the right guests, the right word…she brought class to TV back then.”
When we first moved to Talbot County in 1976, we rented a house on Pleasant Street in Oxford. The walk to Oxford Mews, often with my then three-year-old daughter in tow, was a short one. Of course, any stroll in this beautiful village was long on ambiance and short on distance. It was a village beyond compare.
Though we could not afford the enticing gourmet food, including the Omaha Steaks that Mr. Vinnicombe liked to show off (and sell), we couldn’t resist buying a bike. As I recall, Ed Vinncombe offered us a discount. We were most appreciative. Money was tight for us. He seemed to know that.
My guess is that he and his wife were interested more, at least initially, in keeping busy and enjoying interaction with customers than they were in making money. They ran a class retail outlet. They probably did well.
When I recently asked my now 43-year-old daughter if she remembered the eclectic bike shop, she said she didn’t. Instead, she fondly remembered an ice cream shop adjacent to the Mews. No surprise. She wouldn’t have enjoyed Mr. Vinnicombe’s banter and big personality as much as I did.
During his 30 years at McCormick & Co, a Baltimore-based a purveyor of spices throughout the country, Ed Vinnicombe ran the company’s bulk and institutional division for 19 years, helping to place McCormick products in hotels, restaurants and clubs across the country. This division became a multimillion-dollar operation.
According to Mr. Vinnicombe’s obituary in The Baltimore Sun, the bulk and institutional division grew to two divisions, industrial flavor and food service, and contributed mightily to McCormick’s profits and growth.
Mr. Vinnicombe died in 1997. Sylvia Scott died in 2005.
As the Oxford Town Commission decides the future use of the Oxford Mews, I always will recall when two individuals with amazing resumes and public personas ran what they modestly called a “general store.” I particularly will remember one of those accomplished people, Ed Vinnicombe, as a charismatic person who loved to sell, whether it was McCormick spices or Schwinn bikes. Being in the store run by a dynamic couple, one with a large personality and the other with exquisite taste, was an unforgettable experience. It was a special place.
I trust that longtime residents of Oxford remember a general store unlike any other. I do, despite my short stay in Oxford.
If Oxford succeeds in seeking a designation of the Oxford Mews in the National Register of Places, perhaps the plaque will contain a footnote to the memory of Sylvia Scott and Ed Vinnicombe. It would be fitting.
Not many places sold bikes, Omaha Steaks and olives soaked in vermouth.
Donna Hayes says
I had the wonderful pleasure of working for the Vinnicombes for almost 30 years. Many good memories.
Dick Deerin says
Nice article. I remember the Vinnicombe’s and the shop. We were all sad to see it close. I still have in our kitchen a white trivet with a red crab on it that Donna Hayes let me have for half price. We hope that The Mews can be brought back to life.
Howard Freedlander says
Any memories to share, Donna?
Gary Saluti says
My wife and I remember Ed and the old store. Ed got us hooked on a McCormick spice mix called Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt. He said that it was a key ingredient in the perfect Bloody Mary. We tried it, he was right and we have been using this spice ever since. Fond memories.
Beth Trujillo of Oxford Mercantile Group says
Only in Oxford!