England's Colony On-The-Bay

Welcome to England’s Colony on the Bay! Located at 505 South Main Street, in North East Maryland, the building, built in the early 1890’s was originally a harness and tack shop. In 1927, it became the Roney & Wells Hardware Store and was an active business run by the family until 1989. We bought the building in 1994. We’re several blocks south of other shops in North East, but we love the building and can’t move it uptown. All the counters and shelves are original to the hardware store - and the little cubbyholes where we now have musical tapes and CDs are where they kept nuts, bolts, clamps and other things. We still have the original wood floor that will creak as you walk around the shop. There’s even a knot hole in the floor filled with a cork. Today, instead of hardware, you will find an array of unique gifts, decorative accessories for your home, soothing music, and specialty items.

For more on our shop click on the links above, give us a call at 410-287-5575 or e-mail us at: cengland2@dol.net

Local Flavor:
Most of our framed artwork is original, and we have prints from local artists that reflect the area around North East, Cecil County and the Chesapeake Bay. There are wooden boxes of all sizes and shapes and finishes - remember when you were a kid and wanted a special box to put all your treasures in? All our birds and decoys are carved by local carvers. There are hand-thrown Great Bay pottery pieces with either the Turkey Point Lighthouse, or blue crab on it. You’ll see hand-made fish, painted in bright colors by local artist Anne Bates. She also did the hand-painted clay replicas of local buildings displayed in the front of the shop. We also have in our Christmas Shoppe, Santas painted on oyster shells and driftwood done by local artists'.

For the Collector:
On the front counter, you’ll find some of the American Chestnut series (whimsical roosters, Collectiables picture geese, bears and rabbits), and the Mittens and Mufflers Snowmen summer figurine series. Across the shop is the wonderfully whimsical Williraye collection and the Little Street collectible series, funny little figurines for everyday or Christmas. We also have the Willow Tree collection, a simply elegant series of angels. Play the large wind chimes as you pass them - all the ‘kids’ do - we carry the J. S. Stannard brand, guaranteed for five years.

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Christmas Shoppe:
Through the back door on the right is our Christmas Shoppe. This was originally the storage building for the hardware store Christmas Shoppe Picture , where they threaded pipe. Now it displays Steinbach nutcrackers, Valley of the Kings hand-blown glass ornaments from Egypt, hand-painted Russian Matryoshka dolls and Father Frosts, and much more. As you enter, you’ll find A Cup of Christmas Tea items. To your left are shelves of collectibles, David Frykman, and the Christmas versions of American Chestnut. On the floor you will find boxes of luminaria, cookie plates for Santa, Christmas countdown calendars, and cast iron doorstops in Santa shapes.

Kugels, heavy glass ornaments in various colors hang from Christmas trees. Chase glass ornaments, hand-painted from the inside, come in their own red satin boxes.

You will find English Christmas crackers in boxes. We have all sizes and shapes of Santas, angels, and snowmen everywhere. We also have Santas painted on oyster shells or driftwood, done by local artists. The Bavarian Heritage series shows Claus the Toymaker in beautiful glazed porcelain.

Here also are the Mittens and Mufflers winter snowmen, starting with Thomas, a full-sized snowman, then Poor Tom, as he starts to melt, then Sad Tom, as he has melted more, then Gone Tom, as he’s melted flat, all his relatives, Nana Flo, Father Brown, Bathtub Bert and more.

Next - listen to the music boxes, the carousels that play both Christmas music and turn-of-the-century standards, the player-piano roll music box, and the Nutcracker Suite music box that shows four different scenes with the dancers dancing, until the curtain closes.

Looking for a special table runner, tapestry wall-hanging or warm throw for an accent at Christmas? Unfold our selection and see if one will fit your home. Keep looking here in all the niches too - there are Christmas CDs and tapes that are a bit different - Old English, Early American, the Irish Tenors, Carlos Nakai, medieval songs, and more.

If you see something you would like for a present, put it on a note and tack it to our "Dear Santa" board, then send your Santa in to shop.

Gifts & Specialty Items:
Listen to the music playing, it may be Celtic (ranging from the Chieftains to Natalie MacMaster with lots in between), Native American, classic bluegrass, Civil War era, or classic blues and jazz, like Duke Ellington or Billie Holiday - then go look at the large selection. We’ll play anything you’d like to hear so you can see if you like it before you buy it.

In the middle of the shop, you’ll find our Toland flag and floor mat display. Toland products are known for their quality and fade-resistance.

To your right will be the Carvel Hall crab knives and pewter crab mallets - a nice gift for those crab lovers you know. Do you remember Lemon Butter? I looked forward to summer picnics for lemon butter on fresh rolls. It’s also called Lemon Curd, and we have Raspberry Curd too. Our honey spreads come in Cinnamon and Raspberry flavors too and melt on toast.

We carry a variety of deck prisms, brass key chains with ship’s wheels or telescopes, and models of skipjacks or sailboats.

Also available are shirts with Turkey Point Light Station and books about the Chesapeake Bay region, including the series by Ed Okonowitz of ghost stories in the Delmarva area.

In the back of the shop, you’ll find Bridgewater Candles, a quality scented candle - stop and smell the different flavors - there’s even one called Cinnamon Rolls. Throughout both our main shop and our Christmas Shoppe, you’ll see our new line from Crazy Mountain that includes a nice variety of Candle accessories as well as some unique Christmas items.

Are you a cat lover? Keep your eyes open for Moocher, the true owner of the shop. He only comes to say hello to those who like cats. If you don’t like cats, you probably won’t even see him. He’s a large white and orange cat with an extroverted personality, who thinks nothing of inviting you to sit on the love seat so he can sit next to you and receive all his well-deserved affection. He was a stray, who grew up in the bushes across the street and just "mooched" his way in ... to my heart (and the staffs’) and the store. He often sleeps in the front window at night when we are closed. I think he thinks he is part of the display.

Thank you for coming into our shop. If you need any help, please ask, otherwise we let you browse on your own. We hope you’ve enjoyed all that you saw and you’ll come to visit us in person soon. If you’d like to call us, our number is 410-287-5575 or you can e-mail us at cengland2@dol.net. We’ll be happy to help you. While you’re at the shop, pick up a few of the brochures - the North East Strolling Guide, the Cecil County guide, the Cecil County Events Calendar, as well as our own North East Events Calendar, and don’t forget the brochure for the Upper Bay Museum. See you soon, we hope.