Paris woodworker is seeking pledges in order to thrive

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WOODWORKING — Jay Lester, woodworker behind Dead Apple Farm Furniture in Paris, works on the layout of a wooden toy chest.

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FUNKY FURNITURE — A small wall shelf created by Paris woodworker Jay Lester, who's in the beginning stages of his business Dead Apple Farm Furniture.

PARIS — A creative local woodworker is hopeful that through $4,200 in pledges he will soon be able to showcase his work statewide and even sell some items locally.

Jay Lester, the woodworker behind Dead Apple Farm Furniture in Paris, says that funding will also help his shop to thrive. For the past three weeks, he has been seeking support through www.kickstarter.com, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects in a variety of fields.

Every project on Kickstarter is independently crafted, put to all-or-nothing funding and supported by friends, fans and the public. Craftspeople who use the site give rewards to people in exchange for pledges. 

"Backers," as they are called on Kickstarter, will receive a reward if the project reaches the funding goals by its deadline 10 p.m. on June 7. Otherwise, "no money exchanges hands whatsoever," says Lester.

As of Tuesday, Lester had a total of 52 backers. Two of them have even pledged $205 or more, which means come June 7, they could receive a wall shelf with a checkered board curvy top and one drawer. Twelve backers have pledged $100 or more; one pledged $68; 18 pledged $35; 10 pledged $12 and one pledged $7 or more. 

After a couple days, some people even increased their pledge amounts.

On Tuesday, Lester reported that DAF was more than 60-percent funded through the website. By Tuesday, Lester had raised $2,781-plus in pledges in just three weeks.

With a week to go, a total of $4,200 must be pledged in order for the project to be funded, says Lester.

Backers can pledge anywhere from $1-$1,000 or more if they so choose.

Lester is the designer and builder of creative, colorful furniture and other woodworking projects with "whimsical features" from reclaimed lumber. For the color he uses milk paint, then he finishes everything with all-natural oils, like linseed oil or beeswax.

Lester has been woodworking for about five years. "I do traditional techniques, but with a bit of my own design," he says. But only recently did Lester decide that he wanted it to become a thriving business. Kickstarter, he says, is just "the jumping off point for that."

Lester says that mostly everything he makes begins with, and somewhat resembles a crayon drawing.

"There's something about the colorfully chunky lines that makes my inability to draw not seem so displeasing," he says.

He says that sidewalk chalk has also become a new favorite sketching tool, and for the same reason as crayons — "I want my woodworking to have a sort of hand-drawn look," he explains.

"I want the sides of cases and the legs of tables to be playful and colorful, and to not take themselves too seriously."

Lester says that he's asking for support in order to continue to bring his sketches to life.

If enough money is raised, Lester's pieces will be presented at shows across the state and possibly be sold in shops throughout Oxford Hills. Funds will also go toward purchasing additional reclaimed materials.

Lester says he's confident he will reach his goal of $4,200. "It seems to be on track," he says. "I've got a tremendous amount of a response through messages, and people supporting along the way, by helping to share on Facebook."

Pledges can be made at www.kickstarter.com by searching for Dead Apple Farm Furniture. Also visit www.facebook.com/DeadAppleFarmFurniture. All pledges are greatly appreciated.