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| Geri and Laurie |
“We are always going to put people first, and
in the way they need.” – Geri Horsley
If you are reading this, you probably know
there is something special about our little town of Midland. A little larger
than Mayberry and surely not quite as wholesome—the sense of community and
family is strong here. It’s that unique appeal that brought Geri (pronounced
Gary) Horsley back from a big job out east and it’s why we are lucky enough to
have Wellington Limited in our little town today.
Wellington Limited is a
true Midland treasure, nestled in Midland Plaza you will find high-quality
gifts for both personal and business use. Need a YETI® or Polar Camel with your
business logo? Trying to create a portrait on a piece of jewelry? Building a
service program or custom award for your employees, corporation, or special
occasion? Just need a unique gift? Wellington can help! It’s their
customer-first focus that has been the cornerstone of their success and why
they have been in business in this town since 1974.
Interview day was not the first time I’d met
Geri, but only the second. When you meet him, you know he’s in it for the
relationship not the sale. He even said that to me, that he didn’t want to seem
cliché, but that people walk in strangers and he wants them to leave as
friends. With a personality like his and his first-mate, Laurie Kramer—you
cannot help but become a Wellington family member and you will be glad for it.
Geri likes nostalgia, you can feel it all
around from the Horsley’s sign on the wall, to some of their most challenging
pieces on display to his U of M memorabilia in his office. Getting nostalgic
about the origin story of Wellington was a true pleasure for me and I think you’ll
feel the same.
As Geri would say “Many, many years ago…”
Horsley’s was a floral and gifts business run by the Horsley children (four in
all) and their parents, it was the predecessor to what we now know as Village
Green. He recalls helping to carry the cement blocks that laid the foundation
of the building. Geri’s father worked at Dow and the entire family worked at
Horsley’s. Geri would later head off to Ann Arbor to earn a business degree
and, “after university,” spend time out east working for Alcoa and then in
sales for a medical supply company. A phone call from his brother would lead to
a brainstorm about a business venture for the two of them: What if we opened a
smoke shop and specialty store for men? The vision was strong enough to bring
Geri back to Midland, but as I already mentioned, it was also that Midland
magnetism that played a heavy hand. And so, it began, a 600-foot corner of
Horsley’s was carved out for Wellington Limited to be born. They carried
top-of-the-line articles from Cartier, Dunhill, Marc Cross leather, and George
Jensen pewter. Wellington held pipe smoking competitions at the old Holiday
Inn—entire families came to watch. If you are curious, as I was, as to what a
pipe competition entails each competitor held a pipe with exactly 3.3 grams of
tobacco and whomever could keep the pipe lit the longest would be the victor.
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| Heat Stamper |
As is often the case in our small town, The
Dow Chemical Company became an important part of the Wellington story early on.
In the 70’s you could smoke just about everywhere, even at Dow corporate. As
the Chairman of the Board was retiring, a special project was presented to the
Horsley men: we need this 18-karat gold Dunhill lighter engraved with the
Chairman’s initials. There were no engravers locally at the time. Geri, as he
will still do today, said he would figure it out and came upon a hand-engraver
in New York City. Dow flew Geri to New York where he hand-delivered the lighter
to a man in Manhattan, returned three-hours later to retrieve it and flew back to
Midland. This is where Geri realized Midland needed engraving. They purchased a
heat-stamper that they still have and use to this day (albeit less often than
their laser and sandblasting machines).
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| Laser Machine |
As is true for all businesses, they needed to
evolve and grow. Wellington became a big retailer of travel accessories,
carrying the Hartmann luggage line. When Dow AgroSciences (then located in
Midland) approached Wellington for 50 attaché cases their corporate business
began booming. It was this corporate focus that allowed Wellington to thrive.
At one-point Wellington employed more than 30 people. Once the Horsley’s business was sold to
Village Green, Geri moved Wellington to Dartmouth and Cambridge into an 1800
square foot space. They worked all day in the original space and built the new
space by night. Fun fact: around this time, Wellington also had a shop
inside the lower level of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island—it was the first
shop of its kind in what’s now a multi-store boutique shopping space.
Wellington spent 18 years at Dartmouth and Cambridge and later headed to
Eastlawn Plaza where the Chinese buffet now resides; when their lease was up,
they found out Walgreens would be built out front and decided to move on. They
landed at their current location in Midland Plaza and have been there ever
since.
We talked for longer than I’d planned but it
wasn’t labored conversation. It was friendly and casual. Geri and Laurie
ordered in pizza and salad, treated me to that lunch. They also laser engraved
a few Let’s Go Midland articles for me to take (so nice!!!). We chatted through
their upcoming deadlines—busier this time of year than usual. We talked about
the ‘right now’ world we live in and how people sometimes pop in and expect
things to be engraved immediately like some other shops can do. I, myself, am
certainly guilty of this ‘right now’ expectation sometimes: Not willing to
wait; Waiting too long and making it someone else’s problem; Not willing to
venture outside of my house for a truly unique gift. Of course, sometimes
Wellington can oblige a last-minute request, but other times they have an order
of 100 for a corporate client in line ahead of the last-minute customer. A
friend recently told me about a great experience with her own last-minute
request for a Bible engraving—the team came in on a day off to complete the
gift.
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| Wellington Gifts |
Geri speaks fondly of Midland, when I asked
what has kept Wellington going for these 44 years? He said “Friendships;
staying true to Midland; and loving this community the way we do.” As for
competition besides the Internet, competition isn’t something that Geri worries
much about because they don’t say ‘no’ very often. If they must, Wellington
will work hard to find a local business that can say ‘yes.’ They aren’t afraid
to help other businesses, keep it local and make it easy for the customer
(we—at Let’s Go Midland—LOVE this!).
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| Wellington Letters |
Geri is complex—he’s got a keen business
sense and a bias for results for his customers that is unmatched, but he’s also
a super sweet man. He said, “I have to get romantic for a second” saying that
Laurie “has completed life.” The Northwood grad who once worked at Horsley’s
entered his life years later and became his love and partner in business. You
can sense a quiet satisfaction in the almost 45-year journey and as he
prepares, in the next few years to retire, his daughter Natasha and son-in-law,
Scott, will take over. The Horsley legacy and Wellington Limited will continue
to thrive and grow in Midland—full of love for their craft and for this
community. The meaning of the Wellington surname is “a prosperous estate”—I
daresay it’s certainly held true for this small Midland business.
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| Geri Heat Stamping |
Whatever your gift-giving needs, Wellington
can help; from the Baggallini line to travel accessories or small leather goods
to beautiful vases and scenic framed photographs, Wellington provides more than
just engraved products. Wellington also tries to use as many Michigan and
United States artisans as possible in their vast offering of merchandise; they
carry many unique Michigan-made gifts including Petoskey stones and other
products native to Michigan. So, next time you need a gift (engraved or not)
make sure you check out Wellington Limited at 1900 South Saginaw Rd., Suite K,
Midland, MI 48640, Monday through Friday from 10AM until 5:30PM, they are open
for a few hours on Saturday for last minute gifts, just drop in between 10AM
and noon. They are closed on Sundays. Follow them on Facebook at @wellingtonltd
or visit their website www.wellingtonltd.net.
Have a question? Call them at (989) 631-5270 or shoot them an email at wellingtonltd@yahoo.com.
Tell them Let’s Go Midland sent you.
Article and Photography By Joslyn Chulski
