About Us

During a snowy Michigan winter in 2009, Puzzles That Rock began. We owned a small specialty food store in the seasonal town of Charlevoix, Northern Michigan. It was a challenging time; Matt was recovering from open-heart surgery a couple of months prior, and we were struggling in many aspects of our lives. It felt as though things were spiraling downwards.

That winter, putting together puzzles in our store became a welcome outlet for us and our children. Working on a puzzle allowed us to set aside our worries and collaborate on completing something tangible, experiencing the satisfaction of seeing order emerge from chaos after so much effort. Puzzles have a way of working out, showing you how seemingly disparate pieces can ultimately fit together beautifully – that's why we believe Puzzles really do ROCK!

One day, having just finished a jigsaw puzzle, we were sitting at our table in the front window of our store, which we affectionately called "The Human Snow Globe." Matt was polishing a new Petoskey Stone, a significant treasure in Michigan, drawing thousands to our beaches each summer in search of them. While Matt worked, our boys, then three and five, played in the "snow globe," and as I finished the puzzle, I uttered what we now consider life-changing words: "Wouldn't it be fun to put together a Petoskey Stone puzzle next? We should buy one." Surprisingly, no such puzzle existed, despite Petoskey Stones being so prevalent around us!

We discussed this puzzling lack and considered two possibilities. First, it could be a terrible idea, explaining its absence. Second, we might have stumbled upon a truly wonderful, untapped idea. At that point, our finances were precarious, and the very real possibility of closing our beloved store loomed. With that in mind, we resolved to fight for its survival.

We created and ordered our first batch of the original Petoskey Stone Jigsaw puzzle – 3,500 puzzles! Our tiny garage behind the store overflowed. Matt began traveling to neighboring Northern Michigan towns, hoping to sell our puzzles to local retailers. His goal was to sell that initial batch within a year. Fortunately, all 3,500 were gone in just eight weeks!

Our downward spiral began to reverse. Puzzles That Rock perfectly complemented our store. The quieter winter season provided time to create more puzzles – designs we aimed to be creative, unique, challenging, and fun. Each item we collected, every design we conceived, and every title we chose held special meaning for us. Often, we would subtly hide a Petoskey Stone within the puzzle image.

By 2016, Puzzles That Rock had become successful enough that we were able to sell our store. That summer, our first in Northern Michigan as parents of now three children, we finally experienced the summer activities we had always heard our families and customers enjoy. Looking back, we feel incredibly blessed. A Petoskey Stone puzzle turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us, on so many levels.