Prince, Vintcent & Co.
- Address
- C/o Church & Baron van Reede Streets
- Date
- 1887
- Walk
- Baron van Reede Street
- Photographs
- 2
From the heritage walk's own records for this marker
Behind you stands the Prince, Vintcent & Co. building. The firm, Prince Vintcent & Co. was established in 1863 in Mossel Bay as importers and exporters of a variety of products. By 1887 they opened a branch in Oudtshoorn on the corner of Church and the then Queen’s Street, now called Baron van Reede Street. This business expansion was due to the booming ostrich feather industry in the Klein Karoo. At the height of the ostrich boom period in the years following the Anglo Boer War, the building was extensively redesigned and enlarged to accommodate a modern departmental store. Watson & Hall designed the extensions. Lines of goods included diverse products such as steel from England, including wrought iron components for buildings, “broekie-lace” tracery for Victorian verandah’s and corrugated iron sheets. Timber from Canada and the Baltic, sugar from Ceylon, manufactured goods of all sorts such as textiles, fashion goods, whiskey and firearms were traded.
Returning to Mossel Bay on the wagons from the interior, were agricultural products such as dried fruit, tobacco, walnuts, honey, crystallized aloe juice, hides, brandy and, of course, fine ostrich feathers.
Today the present owner maintains the building and it accommodates a variety of offices and businesses.
