Bring it on home- Quality of life draws furniture craftsman back to Helena Valley from San Francisco

Mike Flanagan is the kind of guy state business leaders would like to see more of.

By JOHN HARRINGTON – IR Business Editor

One stumbling block to reviving Montana’s economy, the logic goes, is keeping the Treasture State’s best and brightest at home once they’ve grown up — or luring them back to the state to ply their trades as professionals.

Enter Flanagan, a maker of high-end "functional art" furniture and home furnishings.

A Helena native, Flanagan left for the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1980s to learn his craft. After an apprenticeship, he hung a shingle and began producing exquisite furniture, made from beautiful woods like teak, mahogany, walnut and ebony.

But five years ago, Flanagan heard the call to come home. Today he owns his own shop in the Helena Valley (he was part of a co-op arrangement in California).

It hasn’t been without sacrifice. Flanagan’s work can be exquisite and expensive — a single coffee table can run as much as $14,000. (To be sure, more utilitarian pieces cost much less.) Needless to say, there are a lot more people in the Bay Area who can afford that kind of piece than there are in Montana.

"There are people who collect this type of furniture, and those are the type of clients I’m shooting for," Flanagan said. "People who are very knowledgeable of the craft and very much have a sense of appreciation for what you’re doing."

And it’s not that people here don’t appreciate his spectacular art, it’s just that $14,000 is a lot more money here than it is in San Francisco.

Early start

Flanagan knew as early as junior high school shop that woodworking was the career for him. He moved away in 1987 and began learning his trade. He’s made dining room sets, coffee and end tables and lots of doors, shelves and other household furnishings.

All have a distinctive look.

"I try to do unusual things with unusual materials," he said.

In California, Flanagan had access to everything he needed to be successful: customers, galleries, materials and fellow craftsmen.

But it wasn’t home. So five years ago, he pulled up stakes and returned to Helena.

Being farther away from his customer base and the upscale shops that showcased his products isn’t the only obstacle Flanagan faces in Helena. While the Queen City is known for its arts, the craft community here is still comparatively small.

"It’s hard not being around as many people doing the same thing," he said. "I used to belong to an association where 30 or 40 guys would get together once a month and share ideas. I don’t have that here, so I don’t get that collaborative or group mentality."

Then, there’s the matter of getting raw wood to work with. Living near one of the world’s major ports made selecting and buying exotic raw wood much easier than it is in Helena.

"Getting materials can be an obstacle here," he said. "You pay more for lesser quality and lesser quantities." And often have to buy wood sight-unseen.

The national economy hasn’t helped, either.

"When the economy’s good, people are spending money and can spend more disposable income. It seems like one job leads to another," he said. "I’ve definitely had some slow times since I’ve been back, but I always seem to pull through."

Coming home

But despite the different dynamics of being in a high-end business in the Helena Valley, Flanagan doesn’t regret his decision to move home.

"Money’s not what drew me back here, or drew me to be a furniture maker at all," he said. "If I wanted to be rich I would have gotten out of this a long time ago. But day in and day out, I’d rather be working for myself doing what I want to do than working for someone else doing what they want me to do."

Along those lines, living here has actually improved his day-to-day working conditions. In California, Flanagan rented shop space that he shared with two other craftsmen.

Upon moving back to Helena, he made plans for his own shop, a building that he moved into last year.

"Here I have the same amount of space to myself, and I’m making mortgage payments instead of rent payments," he said.

Flanagan admits he’s done more contract work and fewer of the speculative art pieces that he’d like to. But he’s still in touch with galleries in California, and to try to locate customers closer to home, he’s contacting high-end sellers in places like Sun Valley, Idaho, and Jackson, Wyo.

But beyond any benefits and drawbacks to working in Helena versus San Francisco, Flanagan points to quality of life issues as reasons for being back in Montana. Family, friends and outdoor pursuits all made the move home worth it.

"I would have had a much more lucrative five years if I had stuck around San Francisco, but would I have been as happy?" Flanagan asked. "I think the trade-off to come home was worth it. I wanted to come home. And if it doesn’t work out, I can always go back to a major city."

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or [email protected].

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/09/14/business/e01091403_01.txt