The Grand Geneva Resort now sits on land that was once the original Playboy Mansion. Memories of this time have been etched in many minds, especially the former Playboy bunnies that still live on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Pam Ellis, who now owns and operates Global Hands, a fair trade store in the center of Lake Geneva, is one of the people who worked for the mansion and now makes the town her home. He had a lot to say about his days as “Bunny,” his store, and his favorite town in Wisconsin.
Marcia Frost: Do you want to start all over and tell me how you became a Playboy bunny? P amela Ellis: I grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be a ranger. I went to the University of Wyoming and was there for years.
When I finished, I thought, am I very talkative, am I very sociable, and am I on the lookout for forest fires only in one tower? This is probably not the right calling for me. I also missed my home, so I went back to where my father had just been transferred, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
I met a girl in Wauwatosa who said, “I used to be a bunny in Chicago, how about we go down to Lake Geneva and apply?” So we did it. I thought I wasn’t doing anything else, so let’s do this. They hired me and she didn’t.
MF: How was it then?
PE: Back then, that was 1976, you would have to live there. Right after the golf course, there was Bunny’s bedroom. It was surrounded by a chain link fence and on top was barbed wire. It was as if you felt like a prisoner. It was pretty safe.
I lived in Bunny’s bedroom for a couple of years. My roommate was Bunny Rachel. I think she was from Champaign. Now she also works in the city (Lake Geneva), in Strawberry Fields, a small clothing boutique. I still see her all the time, which is fun.
MF: Did you stay there the whole time?
PE: For a couple of years, you didn’t even need a car. You could just pick up the phone and call and a car would come for you to go to work. There was a cafeteria: you didn’t even need money to eat, you ate for free.
It was a crazy situation that I don’t think you will encounter again.
MF: Did you like being a Playboy bunny?
PE: I think being a bunny was good for me because you did something different almost every day, and it was seasonal. I’d work in the pool or at the Bunny Hutch, where you’d spin records as a DJ. There was a bubble machine and a disco ball. That’s where I met my husband!
I worked at the cabaret with the artists, or at the usual Playmate Bar, which was for dinner. I also taught backgammon on Sunday mornings in the game room to the children of Chicago.
MF: Did you meet any celebrities?
PE: I was a bunny 25th Anniversary so I worked on the golf course and took pictures with Lee Trevino, Bob Hope, OJ Simpson … many stars were there. That was what was great, you did something different every day.
After a couple of years, I was able to move off the lot. I was able to buy a car. We still shared a room. Rabbits are always together.
MF: Did you know Hugh Hefner?
PE: I would come a couple of times. Back then you could go to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles for free. Many girls would do that to take a vacation and not pay for a hotel. (Los Angeles) was a little wild
then. It always happened here, but it was much crazier in Los Angeles than it was at Lake Geneva.
MF: What were Playboy bunnies like then?
PE: There were quite a few seasonal and summer girls who would do it between college. We were actually quite healthy (laughs). I don’t know what other word to use. We were pretty good. I know the girls from Chicago were a bit tougher and obviously the ones from New York. My friends were from small towns and it was work.
MF: At what point did you decide to leave?
PE: I got married and had a baby. I was there for four years and met the husband at Bunny Hutch.
MF: Where did you go from there?
PE: I moved and then the club closed and Americana took over. I raised my daughters in Center Lake (Wisconsin). Then I did the horticulture thing: florist, landscaper, worked on a private golf course as a grower, a maintainer, a designer. Then it was time to get out of the sun. I was outside from sunrise to sunset. I was getting older and I thought I needed to do something easier.
In that period I got divorced and remarried and lived 10 miles from Lake Geneva. I have always been fascinated by fair trade.
MF: How did you get into fair trade?
PE: It started with a reporter from the Racine Journal Times. A woman named Mary Beth Danielson did an informational seminar for a church. She came and went to Guatemala. She would fill the suitcases. He had created four or five different women and they wove, made jewelry, scarves and headbands. I’d bring these things back in the suitcases and sell them.
We were able to buy it and I thought, wow, she pays this money back and her kids go to school, they go to the doctors, they put food on the table. They are making a fair wage.
Then I discovered the fair trade federation. There are organizers – Ten Thousand Towns, Servv, and Greater Gift – it was easy to get started.
MF: Why did you decide to do it on Lake Geneva?
PE: Lake Geneva is a tourist town. I knew it and I still knew a lot of people here. It was in the center. It has been an opportunity for the last eight years. I have a niche.People are interested and I think it’s a trend right now. We are making some changes to what we buy. They are not just gifts from China.
MF: Lake Geneva has a lot of great restaurants. The food scene has accelerated with tourism. What are some of your favorite places?
PE: simple.
MF: Yes, I had breakfast there and it was really good.
PE: And, I’ve always liked Geneva Inn. Anthony has been here since the 70’s and they have the best fish.
MF: Any other place on Lake Geneva that you love?
PE: My favorite retail store is Clear Water Outdoor. You can rent paddle surf boards and kayak. They also offer Adventure Club, activities throughout the year, quite structured but fun… Snow shoes, cross-country skiing, Climbing in winter.
Mia Faccia is my favorite spa. It is a salon and day spa that offers many services such as facials, scrubs, massages, laser treatments, nails, makeup and more.
Also, I have been a Rotarian for the past 8 years, which is where my heart lies. Currently, I am chairing an event called Lake Geneva Women’s Weekend. There are many activities, events and fun!
