If you’re just joining our Art In Unexpected Places miniseries, please take a minute to read Part 1 and Part 2!
The third unexpected place I found excellent art for sale was Oxford Vintage & Trade! This was the most delightful surprise, Gentle Readers!!! The shop is next to a marina in Oxford, Maryland, and I wandered in while waiting for John and a friend to complete a boating trip.

Most vintage stores have at least some art, but Oxford Vintage & Trade…their stuff is curated. There’s literally not a bad item — art or otherwise — in the whole store.

I went in to kill some time and ended up making friends with the store’s wonderful owner, Barbara Ranson, and chatting with her crack team, Molly, Megan, and Elizabeth, whom you definitely should follow on TikTok if you love horses ;) I bought a fabulous chunky jade necklace, and I may or may not have purchased some Russel Wright Iroquois dishes for an upcoming photo shoot. (I’ll put them to good use after that, don’t you worry.)

But back to the art…

There was such a variety of scale, medium, and subject matter.

They have some extremely traditional art,

modern art, such as these lithographs by painter and printmaker Will Petersen,

And lots of stuff in between.


They had JUST received this batch of large-scale photographs, which I adore.


If you’re not in the mood to sift through piles of crap (I mean, pre-loved items) to find the perfect piece of art, visit Oxford Vintage & Trade.

The bottom line, Gentle Reader? Art happens when you least expect it. Keep your eyes peeled and your proverbial checkbook handy so you don’t miss out.
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. with offices in St. Michaels, Maryland and Middlebury, Vermont.
What’s that? Are you asking whether, when you go in to Oxford Vintage & Trade to buy art, you may also pick up a copy of my book? Why, YES, Gentle Reader! Yes, you may! Thank you for asking ;)
