Be careful when restoring an old boat – you never know where it might take you. Living in the Twin Cities, Todd Miller and his wife, Susan, learned to sail in an old sail boat they had restored. One boat led to another and soon they were sailing to Honduras and back in a modern fiberglass sloop that required they replace almost everything before she was a seaworthy craft.

He talks of taking a chance – making a “fierce decision” to move to Grand Marais. He sees Grand Marais as a place brimming with the “culture of learning”, as expressed in the Art Colony, Community Education, North House Folk School, Cook County Higher Education, and more. Settling here was an opportunity to “create my own small world around things I enjoy and attract others who value the same”. Taking a break from restoring an old building, Miller began working on an old wood and canvas canoe. What started as a frustration over not having a good place to work melded with his drive to live a different kind of life and sparked a new dream.

That dream is now taking shape; in this case, the shape of a timber frame building near the center of town. Miller knows that the two most difficult things to find when restoring boats are indoor space and time. To address this, he has created a space that is full of potential.

Not only is the building tall enough to accommodate any craft that can be legally transported on the highway, it can provide housing and work space for multiple restorers to work side-by side. It’s also a tremendous venue for small events and, when Miller and fellow musicians get together, it is home to jam sessions.

His approach to restoration focuses on functionality first. Miller says he tries to stick to the designer’s ideas and specifications, using original materials when possible; but chooses the latest technology and equipment for safety.

“I am not a purist,” he says. “You need to honor the past, but you can’t ignore what is available now. I can replace 90 percent of a boat and the U.S. Coast Guard will say it’s still the same vessel; that’s reality. But a boat is really about the experiences it provides–it lives in the world of metaphor, not reality.”

And so the dream works its way back into the conversation, as Miller describes his vision as more than just bringing new life into old boats, but as a way for boats to restore meaning, fulfillment, and community in people’s lives.