Hometown artist will bring his woodwork line to Kent Art and Wine Festival

This article is part of a series of profiles about local artists who will appear at the Kent Art and Wine Festival, presented by Main Street Kent on June 4.

Jay Zucherro, 50, grew up in Kent and has served in the area as a carpenter for 30 years. For the past five years he’s been spending his time turning his woodworking hobby into a business he calls Jayz Timberworks.

On a shelf inside Zucherro’s 800-square-foot shop on Lake Street sit several stacked plastic containers, all packed with finished wood crafts ready to be displayed at upcoming festivals and events in Northeast Ohio. In the containers is the evidence of Zucherro’s passion for woodworking, which comes in the form of household accouterments crafted from exotic woods, and some art, as well.

“I sell a ton of cutting boards and cheese boards and coasters, and those kinds of things: bottle openers, all kinds of stuff,” he said. “And I make bigger pieces, mirrors, chalkboards, tables, candle holders, artwork.”

The clever designs of his projects are appealing and the quality of the wood he uses is unmistakably premium.

“I use very nice wood, exotic woods. It’s not pine from Home Depot,” Zucherro said. “I get raw materials and I mill everything down to its final dimensions, so nothing is store bought. … Everything I get from suppliers, Amish country — they have a lot of great stuff.”

Zucherro says he tries to separate himself from the pack by making something new and interesting. 

Jayz Timberworks is scheduled to attend the Kent Art and Wine Festival on Saturday, June 4, 2022, from noon to 9 p.m. He presented his crafts at the festival in 2019 with overwhelming success and is excited to be part of the 2022 line up again this year.