Wrangell Sentinel -

Stephen Helgeson works guitars with the casual intensity of a long-time craftsman. He built his first guitar in 1998, after years of working wood as a hobby and before that as a shipwright.

Now, Helgeson will build something a little different, but no less intricate. He’s currently at work on a business plan to make the transition from hobby to career, and hopes to one day open the doors on Tongass Guitars, an envisioned manufacturer of high-end acoustic guitars made from sustainably harvested local wood.

“Basically, this got started for a couple reasons,” he said. “Sitka spruce is one of the...