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A Swiss woman fulfilled her dream of owning a shop in the US \u2013 then Trump\u2019s tariffs landed. <\/p>\n
SWI swissinfo.ch <\/p>\n
Jacqueline Judd seized the opportunity to own and run a shop selling Swiss products in New Glarus, Wisconsin. Shortly after opening, Trump\u2019s tariffs took a toll on her inventory. With a great deal of patience and perseverance, she orders what is available \u2013 and waits for the rest.\n<\/p>\n
This content was published on <\/p>\n
August 2, 2026 – 10:30\n<\/p>\n
Running her own business had always been Jacqueline Judd\u2019s dream. When she emigrated, she had no idea that this dream would come true abroad. In 2007, the trained chef came across a job advert for a restaurant in New Glarus \u2013 a community of Swiss emigrants in the US state of Wisconsin. With little English but plenty of courage, she set off for the US.<\/p>\n
New Glarus was founded in 1845 by emigrants from Glarus; the community, with a population of 2,300, is still proud of its Swiss roots today. The village centre is lined with chalet-style houses, and every year the Swiss Volksfest is celebrated \u2013 a sort of August 1 celebration that takes place at the Wilhelm Tell Shooting Park. Swiss German is rarely heard, says Judd on the phone. \u201cBut many can trace their family tree back through the generations to their ancestors in Switzerland,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
In her job in a commercial kitchen, the differences compared to Switzerland became clear. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t do the sort of cooking here that I\u2019d learnt in Switzerland,\u201d she says diplomatically. But she liked New Glarus, and it was during this time that she also met her future husband. When her visa expired, the young couple returned to Switzerland for a few years, where they got married.<\/p>\n
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Dirndls are in high demand at Judd\u2019s shop \u2013 even though they aren\u2019t Swiss. <\/p>\n
zvg <\/p>\n
The American Dream<\/p>\n
In 2012, the couple emigrated to New Glarus. Judd found a job at a dog boarding kennel, where she was able to work her way up from the very bottom \u2013 from picking up dog poop all the way to manager of the kennel. She soon realised that she enjoyed interacting with the two-legged customers.<\/p>\n
In 2016, she took up a new job in a souvenir shop selling Polish tableware. \u201cThere, too, I started as a sales assistant and ended up running the shop,\u201d says Judd. Her desire to run her own business became more concrete, and an opportunity arose when Esther Zgraggen<\/a>, a Swiss expat, wanted to give up her Swiss souvenir shop or Schwizerl\u00e4deli, as Judd calls it, in New Glarus.<\/p>\n Judd had known Zgraggen since her arrival in New Glarus, and taking over the business had long been on both their minds. But the right moment simply wouldn\u2019t come. Judd now had two young children, then Covid-19 struck, and the shop became an online-only business.<\/p>\n But the takeover plan was never abandoned. Alongside her work in retail, Judd did everything she could to learn as much as possible about running a business. She took a course and had many discussions with her boss and mentor. She also emphasises how well equipped she was thanks to her Swiss education and work ethic.<\/p>\n The range is extensive \u2013 but Judd cannot import all the products she would like to sell. <\/p>\n zvg <\/p>\n \u201cI thought long and hard about whether I wanted to take the plunge,\u201d she says. Running a shop on her own means a lot of responsibility and less flexibility. When she officially took over the business in April 2025, she decided to reopen a physical shop.<\/p>\n Tariffs put a damper on business<\/p>\n Just a few months after taking the plunge into self-employment, American President Donald Trump threw a spanner in the works with his tariffs. It turned out that 2025 was certainly not an ideal year to open a shop specialising in imports.<\/p>\n The high tariffs meant that Judd could no longer get hold of her stock. \u201cIn September and October, my suppliers in Switzerland sent practically nothing at all,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was brutal for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Swiss entrepreneurs abroad series <\/p>\n Our series profiles Swiss men and women founding and building businesses abroad. Through their personal stories, we explore why they choose to pursue projects beyond Switzerland\u2019s borders, the working conditions they encounter there, and the challenges and opportunities.<\/p>\n Through their life stories, this series also showcases how the Swiss Abroad community contributes to Switzerland\u2019s economic, cultural, and political influence.<\/p>\n A period of uncertainty followed. Sometimes limited deliveries were possible, sometimes only via FedEx which cost three times as much and delivery times also became much longer. By the end of the year, the warehouse was empty. Judd only had what was left on the shelves in the shop. She hasn\u2019t been able to restock significantly since then, and she\u2019s waiting for various orders.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are items I know sell well, but I simply can\u2019t get hold of them,\u201d she says. Among them, for example, is a mug that\u2019s very popular. Judd is therefore constantly checking what\u2019s available \u2013 and then snapping it up. At the end of the year, she had just five magnets left; when they suddenly became available again, she ordered a huge quantity.<\/p>\n Life as a business owner has become more difficult in a short space of time than she\u2019d originally imagined. \u201cBut I\u2019m not giving up yet,\u201d she says. She doesn\u2019t run the shop just as a hobby either. She wants to pay herself a salary as early as this year.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t do without a dirndl<\/p>\n The range at \u2018Jackie\u2019s Imports\u2019 is extensive; many items are classic souvenirs that you\u2019d also find in Swiss tourist spots, such as wooden cows and bells, alongside Swiss classics like the Appenzeller belt or tableware from the Langenthal brand.<\/p>\n Judd also stocks clothing, including edelweiss shirts and dirndls, a traditional dress of Alpine German-speaking regions. But surely those aren\u2019t actually from Switzerland? <\/p>\n \u201cYou need a dirndl here,\u201d she says with a laugh. <\/p>\n In New Glarus, people wear dirndls or lederhosen for traditional occasions like the Polka Festival in the American Swiss village. Alpine traditions blend seamlessly together in New Glarus.<\/p>\n The dirndls are selling very well, though there are people in the area who\u2019d like something more Swiss. But a proper traditional costume is quite expensive, and unfortunately she doesn\u2019t have that much space at the moment. <\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000061236.jpg\")
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