Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X I M AY 1 9 , 2 0 2 5 24 S M A L L B U S I N E S S F O C U S N iche small businesses are pretty much a brand for Maine, where owners build on a robust legacy of individual skill and enterprise. ey range from a blacksmith who forges Japanese-style knives to a self-taught maker of complex stair- ways to a locally sourced lumberyard. Common themes? A drive to navigate the journey from personal interest to enterprise, honoring heritage while rolling out new ideas. Self-taught George Reiche started Maine Stair Co. three years ago to design and produce custom stairs and stair parts at his Cumberland shop. Production includes a three-story curved stairway with a tight inside radius and dramatic twisted handrail. "It really pushed our limits as far as construction and fabrication," he says. Another stairway came with "super expensive" custom bronze balusters that required specialized tools to make. "at was a whole other level of ner- vous," he says, adding, "It was a fun one." Reiche is a 14th-generation Mainer who took up carpentry growing up: both of his grandfathers taught him wood- working from a young age. He majored in studio art at Wheaton College and pursued glassblowing and metal and wood sculpture. After college, he focused on his- toric renovation and historic millwork reproduction through his solo operation, Georgeworks. One vintage house had a great stair with a twisting handrail and mahogany newels and balusters. Filling a niche Stairs fit into the balance of art and structure and math and being the centerpiece of a home. — George Reiche Maine Stair Co. P H O T O S / C O U R T E S Y M A I N E S TA I R C O. George Reiche is hooked on the complex geometry of making staircases. Twisting handrail and mahogany newels and balusters are part of the interest behind making staircases. Sparked by an idea, small business owners go all-in to build their enterprise B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

• Cover