The Start of J&L Wood Designs, LLC.
Hi, my name is Jon, owner & founder of J&L Wood Designs, LLC, and I'm passionate about woodworking. I started J&L Wood Designs in 2023 after I left the corporate world and moved to Virginia Beach, VA with my wife Laura. J&L Wood Designs has evolved from a hobby that started in a pigeon coop in the backyard into a small business.
Growing up, I had some great mentors and role models that taught me how to work with my hands - my father and my grandfather. At a young age I watched my grandfather fix and build things. As I got older, my father would bring home projects from the shop classes he taught at school so I could learn to build those projects in my basement.
My appreciation for quality and workmanship evolved when I was 19 years old and worked at a marina alongside seasoned employees who taught me some tricks of the trade in painting and restoring wooden boats. I learned how to refinish tables at the marina. Once I had my own place to live, I furnished it by picking up old wooden tables that were dumped at street corners, brought them home and refinished them. I was proud of the work I did.
I enjoyed the feeling of making something by hand and valued those feelings of being proud of your accomplishment by creating something of quality. That is when I started making items for friends and family such as TV stands, closet organizers, end tables, corn hole games, key racks, cutting boards, and bowls.
After college I entered the corporate world. I went a few different paths including sales, marketing, and eventually owning a Pepperidge Farm route. I loved the route but it was a grueling 7 day a week job which also meant getting up anywhere between 3am and 5am so that I could be in the stores before the customers. I converted an old pigeon coop in the backyard into a workshop so I could still practice woodworking as a hobby.
In 2023 we sold our house in Connecticut (along with my workshop in the backyard) and moved to our happy place by the beach in Virginia Beach. This is when I turned my hobby of woodworking into a small business.
I want people to be happy. That they have something they can cherish. Seeing customers’ reactions to the pieces I deliver is one of the many reasons I find such enjoyment out of woodworking. I love creating unique pieces that are not availableanywhere else. Please share your experiences with my pieces. I love to hear how much you enjoy them and the reactions you get from your friends and family.