Our Christmas Story

Our story of Wilson Evergreens began over 30 years ago in the small basement of my Dad and founder Gerry Wilson Sr.

Back then Dad realized that times were going to be tough when he was laid off from his job.  Like today, the economy was difficult and in a small community, a large company shutting its doors was devastating to the local residents.  As one would imagine money was scarce and considering the lack of jobs in the area Christmas time didn’t look so promising for his family.

You see my parents loved everything about Christmas, when the weather started to change he’d start early with making stuff for the kids, whistling Christmas songs, and planning large family get togethers.

The lack of work and the tough economy didn’t stop my parents from celebrating Christmas with their family. So with a great knowledge of the U.P. forests and land around his home, Gerry Sr. and his wife, Kathy decided to make some evergreen Christmas wreaths as a way to raise money to celebrate Christmas.

Together they went out and cut fresh evergreen boughs and went back to their basement where that first year they produced 25 evergreen wreaths.  Thinking they had a good chance to sell Christmas Wreaths downstate and knew a good location, they drove from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula all the way down to Pontiac, MI.  They set up in a local Kmart parking lot… and the Christmas wreaths they worked so hard to make were a great success!

Each year they made different versions of the Christmas Wreath and were so successful that each year they sold more than the previous.  By the fourth year they started selling wholesale to all the local greenhouses and garden centers.  It was then that the business really took off.  A bigger location to manufacture the wreaths was needed and that’s when Wilson Evergreens was built.  A warehouse where the making of thousands of Christmas evergreen wreaths and garland would be produced over the next 10 to 15 years.

In the beginning Wilson Evergreens was a manufacturer and wholesaler of fresh evergreen wreaths and garland.  Throughout the years our company matured into various Christmas related products; Christmas Wreath, Christmas Garland, Birch Log Decorations, Wedding Decorations, Wreath Hangers, Pine Cones & Berries, Home Decorations, Advent Wreaths, Artificial Wreaths and Artificial Garland.

Happily retired they handed all aspects of operations to Gerry Wilson Jr. and wife, Stacy.  Since the beginning I've  worked alongside my father, we’ve been together through all aspects of the business.  In the last ten years we developed a retail internet business selling a wide variety of evergreen products as well as birch logs and other birch products.

During the Christmas season our company employs over 10 full time workers and works with the local residents producing fresh evergreens for the Wilson Christmas Wreaths.

We pride ourselves on quality, freshness and serving the folks that are loyal customers year after year.