A MAN whose interest in furniture began while he was working as a hired hand moving antiques during house clearances has seen his business achieve a £3m-plus turnover this year.

Born-again biker Mr Mike Keen, who owns a Harley-Davidson he does not have time to ride, is the managing director of Keenpine, which makes original pine furniture from environmentally friendly reclaimed timber.

He has no recognised training in furniture design, having honed his skills from his years on the fringes of the antiques trade and keeping an eye out for a gap in the market.

Keenpine has been operating for more than ten years, but is now situated at the former Co-op bakery near Bishop Auckland.

Mr Keen started creating exact replicas when one of his Australian markets for antique chairs dried up, because reproductions were of amazing quality and cheaper. "I realised that I could go into the replica business and make them cheaper myself," he said.

His pieces, part of a 650-strong product line, are exact replicas of original antiques; hand made and with no two pieces exactly alike, even in a set of dining chairs.

Mr Keen began scouring antiques books, libraries and the internet for information that would form the basis of his designs. Antiques are also bought at auction and shipped out to the Far East to be copied.

Senior sales executive, Mr Peter Day, who describes himself as the oldest YTS lad in the world, said customers see the furniture as an investment.

"Each piece is made by a master copier from reclaimed timber which is real wood, mainly rescued from old buildings," he said. "It moans and groans and bears the scars of its past with pride. Old nail holes, and sometimes even bullet holes, can be identified."

He feels the price of very good antiques has moved out of the range of the general public into the hands of the chosen few with unlimited wealth, "hence the demand for a fine quality copy," he said.

The collections draw from a wide range of styles, from Victorian and Edwardian classic furniture to the more flamboyant Mediterranean and Gothic inspired pieces.

They are sold mainly through small, independent retailers and the company has a thriving export market, shipping four containers a week, each containing 120 pieces.

"We rarely allow the furniture to be photographed for fear it will be copied and produced in lower quality, cheaper versions by unscrupulous foreign competitors," said Mr Keen. "We also vet shops that stock our goods because we are selling an upmarket product at mid-range prices." Once commitment to stock a range of products is realised, he will not stock any other shop in the same area with the same range.

The company, which has been represented at international trade fairs in Paris, Dublin, America, Holland and the UK this year, has a web site at www.keenpine.com where potential customers can view the various collections and prices