JK Woodworked Creations: Painting Parties, Cash Mobs and a Family Legacy

A small Winston-Salem woodworking business that started with cutting boards has grown into something bigger than its workshop: painting parties at local breweries, a monthly "Cash Mob" that steers shoppers to small businesses, and now a new series of vendor markets. Behind all of it is Chantae Reynolds, an elementary school teacher who has kept JK Woodworked Creations going after the unexpected death of her husband and business partner, Justin Kankula, in May 2025. The Go-To Winston-Salem profiled Reynolds on Oct. 14, and Forsyth Family Magazine featured her in its Oct. 1 issue.

From a makerspace to a business

According to The Go-To, Kankula launched JK Woodworked Creations in 2018 after leaving a career in construction. He learned the craft at Mixxer Community Makerspace, the nonprofit shop in Winston-Salem where members share tools and equipment. A Q&A with the couple on CanvasRebel describes Mixxer as the place that gave him access to equipment he couldn't yet afford, along with a network that sent early jobs his way.

The first products were cutting boards. Over time the line grew to wooden boxes, furniture, rings, wall art and sculptures. Some of the work is easy to spot around town if you know where to look: The Go-To reports that Kankula built picnic tables for Cobblestone Farmers Market, tap handles for Wise Man Brewing and tables for Dabble Art Bar.

Reynolds came into the business through the laser cutter. She started by engraving Justin's logo onto his boards using Mixxer's machines, then began making laser-cut earrings to sell at vendor markets, followed by ornaments and custom signs for realtors, dog walkers and other small businesses. The couple's son, Jameson, has his own specialty in the shop, too: charcuterie boards, according to the CanvasRebel profile.

Painting parties instead of canvases

In 2022, Reynolds hosted the company's first sign-painting event at what was then Radar Brewing, The Go-To reports. That idea became a core part of the business. Instead of painting on canvas, guests at a JK pop-up decorate wooden kits made in the shop.

The company website now lists three types of events with local partners: Paint & Sip pop-ups at breweries, Mom's Night Out pop-ups, and Family Paint Party nights at restaurants. The workshops are teaching moments as well as social nights. The CanvasRebel piece tells of a fourth grader who said she didn't like math, then spent a class measuring wood and adding and subtracting fractions before realizing she had been doing math the whole time.

Carrying on, and the Cash Mob

Kankula, who was originally from Detroit, died on May 1, 2025. In a March interview with WStoday, Reynolds said he knew Winston-Salem better than she did and volunteered at Mixxer in the summers to help kids. Mixxer and other local partners later started a summer camp scholarship for young people in his memory, the same article reports. The Go-To says it was the couple's son who encouraged Reynolds to keep the business going.

She did, and in November 2025 she added something new: a Cash Mob, created to honor Justin's love of downtown and the people who run businesses there. The idea is simple. Participants register ahead of time, gather on a set day, and each spends a modest amount, which WStoday reported as $5 to $20, at a small business whose identity is kept a surprise until the event. Reynolds told WStoday she tries to have the owner on hand so they can tell the group their story. For people who can't make it, she has suggested shopping at a local business once a week and tagging the company's Instagram account.

The gatherings started out every few months and are now planned monthly, according to The Go-To. The company's event calendar showed a Cash Mob on Oct. 11.

Made in Winston

The newest piece is a vendor-market venture called Made in Winston. The Go-To reports that after Catbird Events, a longtime organizer of Winston-Salem vendor markets, shut down earlier this year, Wise Man Brewing asked Reynolds to run its Mother's Day Market. That led to Wise Man's fall market and to a revival of the Winston Junction Market, which she runs with local artist Vikki. Forsyth Family Magazine describes the markets as a way for local makers, artists and small businesses to sell their work and meet customers.

Reynolds also has a full-time job. Forsyth Family Magazine reports that she teaches English-language learners at Appalachian State University's Academy at Middle Fork, where she works with elementary students. The Go-To notes that she comes from a family of teachers going back to her great-grandmother.

What's next

The Go-To reports two plans for the coming year: expanding JK's classes to Greensboro in 2027, and launching a JK Woodworked Creations subscription box. In the meantime, the holiday calendar is filling up.

If you go

• Upcoming painting pop-ups (from the JK event list; tickets sold online): Holiday Painting Pop-Up at Wise Man Brewing, Sun., Nov. 1, 2 p.m.; Christmas Ornament Painting Pop-Up at Visual Index, Sun., Nov. 15; Merry Makers Painting Pop-Up at Winston Junction Market, Sun., Nov. 22.
• Made in Winston markets: Wise Man Brewing holiday market, Sat., Dec. 5; Winston Junction Market, Sat., Dec. 12 (dates as reported by The Go-To).
• Cash Mob: Held monthly; watch the company's social pages for the next date and registration.
• Online: jkwoodworkedcreations.com, Instagram, Facebook, and Made in Winston on Instagram. The business does not list a storefront; classes are held as pop-ups at partner venues.

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