“It’s a frolic in fantasy,” Judy Hauser says of her gift shop and mini-eatery that celebrates all things Scandinavian. We went for a visit to Punzel’s Scandanavian Palace midway between Interlochen and Buckley, and as we drove into the parking lot we found the Scandinavian imprint on many signs: “Finns only... all others will be towed,” “Norwegians only,” Danes only,” “Germans only,”, “Swedes only” and “Troll inside.” You get the idea that everyone who visits gets to be Scandinavian for a day, no matter what their heritage.
Of Swedish descent, Hauser and her German-born husband bought the land here in the early 1970s for themselves and their two young boys, saying it was part of their heritage. She began sharing her love of all things Scandinavian in 1985 in a cottage next to her home on 90 acres. She invites all to “experience the sight, touch, tastes, smell and sounds of our ancestors.”
Hauser earned the nickname “Punzel” from her husband because of her long, braided blond hair when she opened the shop specializing in Scandinavian items in 1986. Punzel’s resembles a Swedish stuga (summer home) with blue shutters and flower boxes framing the windows of the one story red cedar building trimmed in white on wooded acres accessed by a footbridge.
The land surrounding Punzel is planted with flowers native to Scandinavia including a heart shaped garden, greenhouse and lingonberry plants. For many years on June 23, Punzel celebrated its annual mid-summer festival on St. John’s Eve with dancing around a maypole to live music, flower garlands for women and chicken dinner with guest bringing potluck dishes to pass.
Items for sale in her rambling five room shop include all things Scandinavian, from handcrafted Christmas ornaments to a room of trolls, children’s toys, handmade Norwegian sweaters, Swedish and Finnish pottery, cookbooks and fairytales. Visitors can also enjoy a typical Scandinavian smorgasbord (lunch) of kaffe and dooka (coffee and dessert) in the “Forest Grotto,” with homegrown herbs, edible flowers, open-faced sandwiches, Swedish pancakes and desserts including fruit soup and currant, raspberry, blackberry and elderberry juice.
Hauser has written a book called “The Legend of Punzel’s Pond,” a Scandinavian folk tale available in her store, sharing her “passion for respecting nature and honoring the bond between children and their grandparents.”
Punzel’s Scandinavian Palace is located at 8720 County Road 633 just north of Buckley and seven miles south of Interlochen/Grawn. Phone, 231-263-7427.
Of Swedish descent, Hauser and her German-born husband bought the land here in the early 1970s for themselves and their two young boys, saying it was part of their heritage. She began sharing her love of all things Scandinavian in 1985 in a cottage next to her home on 90 acres. She invites all to “experience the sight, touch, tastes, smell and sounds of our ancestors.”
Hauser earned the nickname “Punzel” from her husband because of her long, braided blond hair when she opened the shop specializing in Scandinavian items in 1986. Punzel’s resembles a Swedish stuga (summer home) with blue shutters and flower boxes framing the windows of the one story red cedar building trimmed in white on wooded acres accessed by a footbridge.
The land surrounding Punzel is planted with flowers native to Scandinavia including a heart shaped garden, greenhouse and lingonberry plants. For many years on June 23, Punzel celebrated its annual mid-summer festival on St. John’s Eve with dancing around a maypole to live music, flower garlands for women and chicken dinner with guest bringing potluck dishes to pass.
Items for sale in her rambling five room shop include all things Scandinavian, from handcrafted Christmas ornaments to a room of trolls, children’s toys, handmade Norwegian sweaters, Swedish and Finnish pottery, cookbooks and fairytales. Visitors can also enjoy a typical Scandinavian smorgasbord (lunch) of kaffe and dooka (coffee and dessert) in the “Forest Grotto,” with homegrown herbs, edible flowers, open-faced sandwiches, Swedish pancakes and desserts including fruit soup and currant, raspberry, blackberry and elderberry juice.
Hauser has written a book called “The Legend of Punzel’s Pond,” a Scandinavian folk tale available in her store, sharing her “passion for respecting nature and honoring the bond between children and their grandparents.”
Punzel’s Scandinavian Palace is located at 8720 County Road 633 just north of Buckley and seven miles south of Interlochen/Grawn. Phone, 231-263-7427.
