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John “Bo” Norris ’80

Borrealis Yurts

Gray, Maine

John “Bo” Norris ’80

Borrealis Yurts

Gray, Maine

More than a decade into the yurt business, John “Bo” Norris is still scratching his head wondering how he got into it.

Yurts, invented centuries ago by Mongolian nomads, are circular tents made of felt or skins and, unlike tents, marked by six-foot vertical walls.

But what is setting apart the durable, self-contained dwellings made by Norris and his partner, Peter Wattler, are leak-proof skylights and even an opening for a wood-burning stove.

The second-largest yurt manufacturer in the United States, Norris and company build yurts ranging from 12-20 feet wide and costing as much as $6,000. He sold 70 yurts last year, with sales doubling every year.

“Our customers range from back-to-the-land, finding-pennies-in-the-couch naturalists to wealthy yuppies who just happen to own an island off the coast of Maine,” said Norris, who with his wife Kathy lives in Gray, Maine, with their three children, Ben, Will and Lily. (The latter they adopted just last year from Cambodia.)

“I feel like I’m doing something good É giving people the option of living off the land in a remote location without harming the environment around them.”

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