Over 20 Years In B Pioneer Entrepreneurs Helped To Create The Wellington We Call Home By Deborah Welky
Significant changes in the Wellington business community have taken place over the past 20 years. With a front-row seat to everything that has happened are the pioneer businesses, those whose founders risked their livelihoods to establish retail enterprises in the fledgling community of Wellington in the years before incorporation.
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20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
SCHAEFER DRUGS
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Chuck Schaefer opened Schaefer Drugs in October 1979 and, although more and more drugstores have opened up in the area, it has not affected his business much. “People like to do business with people, not institutions,” Schaefer said. “I’m lucky enough to have long-term employees, and my customers can usually walk into the store anytime and talk to myself or a member of the family. My son Jay is the store manager now. Six or seven years ago, I signed a lease to take us to 2025 whether I’m here or not. I don’t do all the work anymore anyway. I’ve got two other pharmacists with me.” Schaefer said that the biggest change to his business model has been dealing with insurance companies. “The insurance companies are making it more and more difficult for independent drugstores to survive,” he said. “It’s a level playing field september 2016 | wellington the magazine
for us right now because we do compounding. We can make specific drugs and also have a big veterinary business. We can accommodate some needs that
are not met by the big chains. We do 95 percent of our business with the people who live here full-time, and the community continues to grow.”