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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 M AY 1 9 , 2 0 2 5 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S Reiche was hooked. He taught him- self lathe work from videos by an "old- school stair builder" in Rhode Island and soon had a commission to build a staircase with a "tangent" handrail — a geometric complexity that both twists and curves as it climbs. "I took it on, not having any idea how I would do it." Tapping industry contacts and 200-year-old books, Reiche taught himself the method, recorded the build and posted it on Instagram, open- ing a world of stair aficionados. More projects and training ensued through a Biddeford contractor and a Rhode Island stair builder. Despite trepidation, three years ago he closed Georgeworks and opened Maine Stair with one employee, Sam Miller. Reiche self-financed equipment such as a CNC machine and a big, five- horsepower shaper used to make jigs for curved parts. "It sounds like a helicopter taking off," he says of the machine. Market gap "I saw a hole in the market," he says. "Most stairs are built on-site. Others build stairs in the shop then bring it on-site to install. So instead of installing a stair in three weeks or a month, for a complicated stair, we might be on site for four days after building it in the shop." Staircase construction is challeng- ing because of the math involved and its multiple missions: creating a work of art that's structurally sound, meets code requirements and falls within the owner's budget constraints. Even small jobs are fun. One involved a damaged portion of a 200- year-old railing. "I took all these points of measure- ment and we fabricated a new tangent handrail to join with theirs," he says. "It was super complicated, but super rewarding." Each year brings five or six stair builds, plus repairs and small jobs. "Instagram has been huge adver- tiser for me," attracting about 23,000 followers to date, he says. "I get some calls from people who go on the Stairbuilders Manufacturers Association and look by area. And stair builders pass jobs to one another." is year, Reich entered the associa- tion's craft competition for the first time and won three awards for the curved stair and a straight stair. e work is engaging. "Stairs fit into the balance of art and structure and math and being the centerpiece of a home," he says. From desk to forge Soma Metalwork is the creative prac- tice of Kiran Chapman, a blacksmith whose work focuses on kitchenware and home goods. Originally from Harlem in New York City and coming from a family of artists and architects, Chapman got a degree in urban studies and stu- dio art at Vassar College and worked in design and public relations in Manhattan. After 25 years of living in the Big Apple, he was increasingly drawn to a more self-sufficient and craft-based livelihood. In 2018, he moved to Maine to study wooden boatbuilding at the Carpenter's Boat Shop in the mid- coast village of Pemaquid, soon C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Kiran Chapman of Soma Metalwork is a blacksmith whose work focuses on kitchenware and home goods.

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