“The Stone Chalet are where your best memories are made,” said Daisy Howlind, mother of two young children and cofounder of the Stone Chalet. “We pride ourselves on creating magical and memorable experiences for our clients and the community.”
Howlind sees the Stone Chalet as a magical bed-and-breakfast event space where any party can come to life. “We do a lot of weddings and celebrations of life,” she said. “We do birthdays, Easter egg hunts, Halloween events and themed balls.”
The Stone Chalet is a historic landmark estate in Ann Arbor—a boutique bed and breakfast that contains 12 unique, storybook-themed rooms, romantic breakfasts and a gorgeous event hall complete with a grand piano.
The Stone Chalet hosts a monthly moms’ night, Wellness Wednesdays (where anyone can schedule a massage and step into a peaceful environment), and their big upcoming event is their Trick or Treat Tour—complete with family-friendly costumes, decor, animatronics and a dance party.
The Stone Chalet has an appropriately storied history. When Howlind and her husband came across the building, it had been well-cared for by its previous owners, but was undermarketed, undervalued and underappreciated. Howlind was struck by its magnificent architecture and the sense of magic that flowed through it.
“When I walked through, all the ideas started flooding,” said Howlind. “Even now, I’m still inspired by the building every day.”
She and her husband felt strongly that the Stone Chalet could be a cornerstone of Ann Arbor’s community. And the building couldn’t have come into their lives at a more perfect time. Howlind felt herself floundering during the COVID pandemic, trying to be a stay-at-home-mom but finding herself with the desire and ambition to do something else. She focused some of that ambition on throwing elaborate, expensive, gorgeous parties for family and friends, and her husband began talking about monetizing Howlind’s skills.
Then they found the chalet, with several offers for it having already fallen through.
Howlind is renovating bathrooms and slowly making each room more magical by searching for just the right decor and paraphernalia. “It will probably never be finished!” she exclaims with a laugh. “Handwatering the plants outside took us three hours a day until we installed a drip line system. I’ve put in a lot of work to the outside as well as the inside. I’ve got to pace myself. Prioritizing the needs versus the wants. I’ve got a ten-year-plan, like murals being painted on the inside.”
Howlind has spent years cultivating the gardens. “One day I see the Chalet being featured in a cottage core magazine as a magical garden, with grapevines and wisteria.”
She deeply desires to meet a need in the community with the Stone Chalet. “So many people are like, ‘The Stone what?’ I want people to recognize the Stone Chalet, just like how Zingermans is recognized as an Ann Arbor staple,” said Howlind. “When they think of a magical event, or a magical place for their out-of-town guests to stay, I want them to think of us and how beautiful the chalet is.”
As a local business owner, Howlind patronizes other local businesses too. “All our cakes are from two local bakers, Sweet Heather Anne and Botanical Bake Shop,” she said. “I also support local flower growers by sourcing wedding flowers from local farms.”
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Howlind cares about authenticity for her myriad of event costumes and prioritizes handmade costumes when she can.
Howlind thinks Ann Arbor is a fantastic place to own a small business. “The kids events are always sold out,” she said. “Parents are very involved with things for their children. I’m one of those parents!”
For anyone interested in opening a business in Washtenaw County, Howlind stresses the importance of doing market research. “If you have a great idea, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work,” she said. “Make sure you’re in a position to fail. If you do fail, what’s next? Don’t be afraid to fail! The more you try, the more you fail, the more chances you have to succeed at something.”
She notes that business owners need to have thick skin: “If you do face resistance, you have to be very sure of yourself, especially if people give you bad reviews. But also give your customers grace, be as kind as you can, be understanding.”
When asked Howlind if there’s anything else she’d like our readers to know, she said simply, “I hope they get a chance to come through our doors and find the magic in the Chalet.”
