First of all, let’s clarify a common misconception: the owner of Punch Jones Interiors is not named ‘Punch.’ Punch Jones is actually the name of the largest diamond of gem quality found in the United States. Punch Jones, the antiques and interior boutique, is a gem, too. And so is Heidi Hall-Jones, its owner.
From Punch Jones’ rooftop patio, Heidi Hall-Jones has one of those “wow-effect” views of downtown St. Augustine. The boutique shop is on the island side of the Bridge of Lions, in a 1930s building that once housed a gas station.
“St. Augustine has really begun to find its footing. It’s a whole different vibe now,” Heidi says. “I’ve seen many changes since I’ve come here and all of them good.”
Heidi has seen many changes in her life, too. She’s been a print maker, a rock-n-roll photographer in Paris, a metalsmith, jewelry maker and designer. And then there were those days in the corporate world in Chicago.
It was that latest chapter that inadvertently led her to St. Augustine. Reeling from a divorce and yearning to start over, she and her young daughter struck out from Chicago to visit a friend in Melbourne, Florida. The road got long and they grew weary and stopped where they happened to be – St. Augustine. They ate at Gypsy Cab and found a nearby hotel. In the morning, they were intrigued by their new surroundings and didn’t want to leave. They ended up staying a week. And never made it further south.
“Maybe there was a higher reason. I’ve learned to trust in signs like that,” Heidi says.
That first night Heidi had a very specific dream about a butter-yellow house. In her wanderings, she discovered Summer Haven where a house – yes, it’s butter-yellow – was up for sale. One look and Heidi was sold. Welcome home. This was 1992.
A Constructive Crush
Two months later when she returned to sign the final real estate papers, Heidi saw a ‘For Sale’ sign at an old garage building on Anastasia Blvd.
“It was love at first sight. I just loved the lines, the shape. It was what the French call a ‘coup de foudre,’ – a thunderclap. I thought ‘Oh my God,’ I’m going to buy this building.” So she did.
The circa 1935 building that now houses the elegant Punch Jones shop was formerly a Gulf gas station, then a radiator shop and then Captain’s Used Cars. The structure was still good, but Heidi describes it as a “disaster” when she first bought it.
“There was 50 years of grime and junk in here. When I cleared it out, the magic started. The building started revealing itself,” she recalls. It took 18 months to renovate.
Eradicating nearly 70 years of an automotive past, the pressure-washer pummeled the walls. Decades of turquoise paint were swooshed away. Like a face with smile-lines hinting of a youthful past, the newly uncovered vintage bricks revealed faint 1920s-30s art deco style lettering. Stucco was blasted off walls in the adjoining room. The result now roughly resembles a mottled mosaic not unlike Venetian plaster. On the concrete floors, Heidi added a compass point out of inlaid steel. It’s like a “poor man’s terrazzo,” she laughs.
A Business is Born and Reborn
She’s always been a ‘junkyard dog,’ digging around for treasures and antiques, so the space was perfect for an antique store. Then she began to weave these funky goodies into her own home interior. Then into her friend’s houses. Then you know how it works – excellent work gets noticed. A new business was born. Now in addition to antiques, Punch Jones offers an interior decorating service with a custom design component. Her design library is bursting with dozens of books filled with swatches, samples and inspiration.
“It kind of unfolded naturally. I don’t have a degree in design, but I’ve been trained by life and everything I’ve done. I have an eye for how things go together.”
Off the Leash
This “junkyard dog,” continues to go off-leash on her search in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, everywhere. Twice a year Heidi sells her fabulous finds at the furniture markets in Atlanta and High Point, North Carolina. With the impending launch of the Punch Jones website, she believes her new e-commerce business will soar.
“I have one eye on trends, but I’m not driven by them. It’s important to follow your own eye and trust your own instincts. I look for what I think others will enjoy but it also has to be things that please me. I like textural things, strong shapes, vintage craftsmanship,” she says.
Interesting juxtaposition is her hallmark. A curved object next to a cube next to a tower. Hard next to smooth, textured next to flat. She’s building a brand, a recognizable Punch Jones “look” around this concept.
“It’s a combination of the old with the new, the high and the low. Mixing in one or two elegant items with something found on the side of the road. It’s an edited, thoughtful experience. It’s about building an unexpected, eclectic relationship between juxtaposed items. It’s about enlarging your visual vocabulary.”
While admiring the spectacular rooftop view, Heidi contemplates the future. “We’re just one piece of this larger fabric here, all of us just trying to make a difference. I’m excited about the next piece of the journey. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
