Walking past dusty glass at an estate sale or a storage space, the untrained eye might miss the magic of a punch bowl - but any great host knows that with a little fizz and glass that glitters under just the right light, it can turn a sleepy night into a cherished memory.
Angela Sortor knew this magic well. While planning the opening of her new antique store, she had her eye on a Fenton iridescent green punch bowl set. The name felt right, and The Punch Bowl was born in Little Rock’s eclectic South Main neighborhood.
Open since February 2023, The Punch Bowl specializes in 19th and 20th century French pieces of various styles, many purchased in France and personally curated by Angela with help from her mother, who has lived there for more than three decades.
“Going to the markets [in France] is always something we've loved to do,” Angela says. “I have dreamed of bringing market finds back for decades before I finally made it happen."
Angela travels to France a few times each year and has been shipping two containers annually back to the states. France is known for beautiful antiques that are relatively inexpensive for a multitude of reasons, whether they’ve fallen out of style or are too big for modern homes. Over time, Angela has built a broad local sourcing network with connections to beautiful pieces before they hit the market.
Finding antiques is exciting, but the challenge comes in shipping. With time and experience, Angela and her mother have learned to cut costs by using their own labor, recycling packing materials and maintaining high quality procedures that cause minimal damage on arrival. All of this allows them to keep prices lower for customers. Angela says this is the part of the business of which she is most proud.
“We purchase, dismantle and pick up 98% of everything you see by ourselves,” she says. “We store it, pack it, ship it and reassemble it on the other side of the pond. We hand pack every dish, every cup, every scale, every book, every trinket you see. Each crystal on every single chandelier is wrapped with bubble wrap and submerged in packing peanuts.”
Seeing The Punch Bowl come to life has been a passion project for Angela, who decided to open the store on a whim, searching for something that would bring her joy after the tumultuous season of Covid.
“I woke up one day and said let me look at a space, let me lease the space, let me buy things, and on and on.... here I am!,” she says. “Life is short, so why not spend it traveling and sourcing beautiful things and meeting amazing people?”
A transplant from “everywhere,” Angela has lived in five countries and seven states. She’s dabbled in everything from historic building preservation to French literature and political science and held a variety of jobs along the way. No matter where life brought her, Angela always has loved antiques and the stories they tell. Her favorite pieces in the store reflect the high quality, detailed craftsmanship of another time.
The Punch Bowl has become a beloved stop for visitors to South Main. For Angela, the warm reception from the community has been one of the most rewarding parts of becoming a business owner.
“I never imagined in a million years I'd meet such amazing and supportive people,” Angela says. “Can you imagine that I found my space through another antique shop down the street, or that those same people and others send people my way? I've waited my whole life to be part of a community and an industry like this.”
Among the many beautiful things delivered since The Punch Bowl opened its doors, the iridescent green glass namesake, which found its way to Little Rock.
“It took almost a year after opening, but I finally bought that punchbowl,” Angela says. “I do believe the shop has become a gathering place with a good mix of merchandise and people.”