Historic church will present 1st Antiques in the Quarter
When your church building is on the National Register of Historic Places and sits in the middle of a historic neighborhood, it’s only natural for fundraisers to involve some sort of celebration of the past.
For years, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church has hosted Christmas in the Quarter, a tour of its 1926 building and surrounding houses. But this year, it’s shaking things up a bit. It is putting all the history under one roof and guests can take a piece or two home with them when they go shopping at Antiques in the Quarter.
“Christmas in the Quarter isn’t going away,” church member Kelli Reep explains. “We’re just taking a rest from it. It’s a great thing and people seem to like it, but we’ve gone through a lot of homes in downtown Little Rock. We thought, ‘Let that rest for a bit.’ That way people can look forward to it in another few years.”
The change came with a suggestion from church member Joe Rook, an antique dealer who was talking to fellow dealers about the possibility of hosting a fall show.
Reep says, “He came to the church and said, ‘Would y’all consider this as a fundraiser?’ Since our church is an antique itself, we thought it would be a good fit.”
Antique dealers from across the South are expected for the show, taking up two floors in the church’s building with furniture, silver, jewelry and assorted knickknacks.
As Reep explains, a visit isn’t just shopping: “You get to learn a lot of history, too. Why these items were important at that time.”
That includes items like antique “caskets” — metal matchboxes used to protect their contents from the elements.
It will all start with a preshow and reception, 6-8:30 p.m. today in the Fellowship Hall, giving a preview of what’s coming up. The dealers will be there, and Reep promises “all the good food and drinks that we had at Christmas in the Quarter.”
The shopping continues Friday and Saturday and people can buy bracelet admission passes for one to three days.
The church will have its own booth, selling antiques supplied by church members. They’ll also sell pulled pork and brisket sandwiches with sides and they’ll have people to help buyers carry their purchases to their cars.
They’re also excited to have a glass-, china- and crystal-mender at the sale. Guests are invited to take their own heirlooms to have chips, dings and scratches repaired on site.
All the money raised from admission, food and church booth sales goes to the church’s operating budget to keep their doors open. The church runs several feeding programs for the hungry and homeless.
“Anytime someone is contributing money to us, we’re serving other people with it,” Reep says.
On Saturday, the Arkansas Cornbread Festival will be thriving just a couple of blocks away on South Main Street, giving people looking for something to do a double-dose of opportunities.
“They’re right there,” Reep says. “If they get tired of one, they can go to the other.”