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by Chrysa Smith
There’s something special about connecting to the past and salvaging it for the future. It explains the abundance of home improvement shows that repurpose bits and pieces of old, neglected and demolished properties, turning them into shining remnants for somebody’s floor, wall or out-building. It explains the millions of viewers, like me, who try and recapture some of that magic for themselves. And it explains the success of Bucks County’s JC Woodworking, This Perkasie-based company supplies vintage wood and building/home products for contractors and home-owners. Co-Owner of the family business, Ricki Chaikin calls it the ‘Lowe’s of 1850’, because they warehouse and sell wood—lots and lots of it in doors, windows and floors. But it’s not the garden variety wood that we have been subject to for decades. It’s 1800s’ vintage—as is the slate, the tubs, the sinks and almost any other objects from the 19th Century that Jay Chaikin can get his passionate hands on. Because if there’s one thing Founder Jay Chaikin is, it’s passionate about the past.
Ricki will tell you that Jay is outrageous. “Just watch videos of him and you’ll see,” she claims. I did, and she’s right. Ricki calls her husband an artist, but you might want to add adventurer to that list. Because it seems no job is too big or difficult, no vision is too small. While Ricki is the business end of the company, dealing with income, insurance and taxes, Jay is the talker and the artist. Ricki sits on an old beam housed on their property while talking on the cell. But she says, Jay will tell you a story about it—like how big the tree would have been in order to reap a beam of that size. What the tree’s owner did for a living and even what his kids might be like. Ricki claims Jay was born in the wrong century because he was always curious about the past. According to Jay, “To me, being in a 200-year old barn or log home was like being at an amusement park. I loved everything about them.”
His passion turned into a business, as it all officially began with furniture-making back in 1996. Jay would work on custom furniture projects for a variety of customers. Custom indeed, but using honed, old-school techniques of joining wood—cutting it by hand, making trenails (a wooden peg used as a fastener), pegging all of the furniture. When someone gave him a pile of antique lumber, he used it and never looked back. This was his passion and antique wood would be his medium henceforth.
A nice break came when the high-end retailer ABC Furnishings in NYC picked up his pieces and sold his furniture exclusively. With a clientele of A-list celebrities like Laura Bush and Kate Hudson, JC Woodworking would gain its place on an even bigger map. But with a detour along the way.
Jay’s love for antique wood connected him to someone out in Lancaster County—Amish country. Known for the virtual cities of barns that dot the Pennsylvania countryside, there was soon to be a marketplace for those being dismantled. And with the inability of Amish woodworkers to use internet and phone, Chaikin served as a kind of distributor for the Amish community—linking product with customer demand. Shortly, Jay Chaikin was working with antique wood suppliers on the East Coast and west to Ohio, buying material from old barns, schoolhouses, churches. He’d sift through remains and salvage what he thought to be of interest to his customers. And once again, this led him to other ventures.
Now acquiring materials from up and down the East Coast, word of mouth has brought the Chaikin’s most of their supplies. And brought them added recognition. Two TV shows have featured them. Restoration Wild led them south to North Carolina, where they converted an old train that ran alongside a multi-purpose farm. Mazes, pumpkins, farm education and weddings were the mainstay of the business. But with some artistry, an old train car on the property was transformed ala the old Sammy Davis movie: Robin and the 7 Hoods. By day, the train served as a classroom, where they outfitted tables for educational purposes. By night, the tables were flipped into a casino, complete with gambling tables and a liquor bar. The second was the National Geographic reality series “Abandoned,” following Jay into some of the country’s notable abandoned buildings: including the local Scranton Lace Factory and Philadelphia AME Church. After exploration, Jay discusses with Ricki what artifacts are worth saving, then restores and reveals that by show’s end. They’ve also done work for Brent Celek, former tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, a bar for the Dubliner Restaurant in New Hope, tables for Maxim’s in Easton, a bridge display at The Philadelphia Flower Show and various farm properties up and down the coast.
One of Jay’s favorite projects began in Bloomsburg, where a 4,800-foot barn was taken down. The frame was sent to Maine and the siding with other materials were sent to a restaurant in Patchogue, New York, where they were integrated into their building. A photo of the original structure was hung in the restaurant, when a customer thought they recognized the barn. Sure enough, it was their grandfather’s many years back. How is that for a circuitous story?
Today, barns turned into wedding venues are the Chaikins most popular areas of work, and great canvasses because they are wide-open, providing endless opportunities. About 90 percent of their volume is some type of salvaged wood. In fact, their location, sitting off Rt. 313 in Perkasie is faced with salvaged antiquities of all types. The company occupies the space that was once home to Roger’s Road Stand, a garden center. The main building is essentially cinder block; a great blank canvas for an artist and one transformed into an appropriate facade for their vision. An eclectic mix of old goodies sits inside. According to Ricki, “If it’s old, Jay can’t leave it behind.” Evidently. During a recent stop, I found old bathtubs and wrought iron fencing, tin roofing and antique car bodies. An enormous fireplace mantel and industrial scale along with a few pieces of Jay’s furniture. But by far the largest inventory is wood in all shapes and sizes. Wood for floors, mantel and ceiling beams. For walls and counters, and for most anything else you, your designer or contractor may dream up.
Now, with a staff in place, Jay is free to leave the premises—if just to locate some more material and find a new project or two to provide a new challenge. While Jay and Ricki personally deal predominantly with contractors, the shop and its outbuildings are open to the public who as I noticed, bring along their contractor. The Chaikins do have a few carpenters that love to work with reclaimed wood, and will pass their names along to homeowners. And if Jay personally falls in love with a furniture project, he’ll likely step in and work his own brand of magic. Merging old and new, at the front of the shop sits two round, glass-top dining tables. One seems to sit above an old wooden rim or wheel. The other high-top sits above something seemingly large and brass, as an old, deep cauldron. It gives you a sense of the artistry, as artifacts, many with deep histories, begin a new history—in someone’s home, office or even outdoors.
While he loves the Civil War period, anything old seems to sit well with Jay. In fact, according to Ricki, on his bucket list is to visit some of the world’s oldest castles. Now that would truly be an old-world architectural experience where even Jay might learn a thing or two.
JC Woodworking is located at 255 Rt. 313 in Perkasie PA. Their property, which houses a shop full of reclaimed wood and antique furnishings, is open to the public Tuesday and Wednesday 10-5; Thursday through Saturday, 8-5. Website: http://oldreclaimedwood.com.