We are a family and team of solid wood manipulators.

When Jay’s father, Michael, a teacher and coach for 43 years, wasn’t in the classroom, a gym or on a ball field somewhere near the family’s Bangor, Maine neighborhood, he was enjoying the relative peace and quiet of his home workshop. Designing and fabricating a piece of furniture for his wife, Alayna, or making gifts for friends and family was Mike Jeffrey’s favorite way to relax in the few hours each day he could carve out for himself.

One of Jay’s fondest memories as a child was keeping his dad company in that workshop. To keep his inquisitive son occupied, Mike would give Jay a hammer, a couple of pieces of wood, and a few nails. Jay would sit on the floor as his father worked, happy to try to imitate what his dad was doing on his work table on a much grander scale. The two would work side-by-side in companionable silence, occasionally talking, but more often just sharing a few hours together.

Always good with his hands, Jay’s first career aspiration was to be an architect. Although he changed directions in college, he continued to channel his passion and talent for woodworking into increasingly complex projects. When he and his wife, Ashton, purchased the 24-acre Windy Hollow Farm in northern Frederick County, MD, Jay immediately went to work renovating portions of the 1876 farmhouse, recently completing a 20’ x 32’ wooden pavilion out back where he will craft his custom millwork projects for his clients.

So where did JAKKSS come from? Because family is still the driving force in Jay’s life, he created a brand that uses his and Ashton’s names, as well as that of their four children, Kiernan, Killian, Sloane and Shaye.