Woodworks Unlimited/Quiet Sports Outfitters

Here in the old Republic Builders Supply store, homebuilder and cabinetmaker Jon Mykkanen (pronounced as if it's Mikkanen) and company have a two-part operation that reflects some of Jon's interests. QUIET SPORTS OUTFITTERS sells Old Town and Seda canoes and kayaks and Stohlquist and Northwest River Supply gear, including PFD vests and Northwest's useful “ultimate dry duffel.” Most of its sales are recreational kayaks without bulkheads, but it stocks some touring kayaks as well. See web site for details. Jon and occasional helpers, all safety-certified, lead guided kayak and canoe trips and give lessons on nearby parts of the Michigamme River and reservoir. Kayak and canoe instruction emphasizes safety in all its aspects: understanding clothing. gear, equipment, and physical abilities; knowing how to navigate; and understanding weather. A half-day guided trip including all equipment, even sunscreen, would be around $45-$65 per person, depending on group size.

WOODWORKS UNLIMITED uses cedar, pine, maple and other woods to create rustic furniture that takes advantage of each piece of wood's characteristics, as shown on the company's web site. At the moment the showroom contains a maple slab computer desk, a headboard made with unusual spruce burls, birchbark-framed mirrors, and a bench made of a burl cut in half, then sanded, sealed, and polyurethaned - a typical finish. It's quite a departure from traditional rustic designs. One piece won a blue ribbon at a recent art show in Marquette. As a builder, Jon builds a lot of log cabins and homes, and makes cabinetry and furniture for them. Being a Finlander who appreciates the old days and the old ways, he doesn't throw much out. So the leftover pieces of logs and boards are often incorporated into furniture made by Jon and more often by John Kinne, all-around in-house artist, furniture designer, sign painter, and more. A Republic teen who likes getting out in the woods spots unusual trees and brings them to the shop.

The building supply store is something of a museum, because most everything - stock, fixtures, tools - is just the way it was left by Leslie Mattila, owner from 1946, when he came home from the war, through the 1980s. Furniture is made right here with tools and saws that go back to when he made kitchen cabinets and store fixtures for building jobs. Jon liked stopping by to hear the old stories and wanted the shop and the store for years after it closed. Each time he ventured to ask, he was rebuffed. After several years Mattila gave in, telling Jon he was the only one who'd know what to do with all his stuff. “We have paint on our shelves that's 40 years old,” says Jon. “Some of it's good and some isn't. And parts, and hardware. Sometimes people come in and ask if we have such-and-such a thing, and I say we probably have it but I don't know where to find it. We've got stuff that's brand-new but half a century old. When I sell some of it, I feel the building breathe a sigh of relief - it's been overloaded for sixty years.”


106 Front Street at the corner of Kloman (the main street) in downtown North Republic behind the gas station. (906) 376-8057. Open Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 9-1. Wheelchair-access: two steps.

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