A few years ago, we visited Mike Nickels’ Woodie restoration shop and found a booming business with a long history in the Traverse City area and a well-earned nationwide reputation. Then, only a few years later, his entire shop burned to the ground, taking with it a lifetime’s accumulation of wood patterns for doors, roofs, cowls, and even his own personal Woodies. Since then, rather than retire, Mike decided to rebuild. He refuses to let the story end on a bad note. We tour his new facility, see what he’s rebuilt, and hear his plans for the future.