Restoring the value of wood one piece at a time 

Jason Werth, 44, owns the building with a hand-taped sign that reads, “Barefoot Woodworks.” Originally from northern Wisconsin, he’s been in the South 24 years having moved to work Aug. 25, 1994. He’s been in New Iberia nine years.

Before high school graduation, Werth had a job offer in Atlanta with the fifth largest construction company in the world, at the time. The company he subbed out through built the big Kmart store in New Iberia. They also did work in Lafayette from the base in Atlanta. At one point he went back to Atlanta but the subcontractor was shutting down their operation. Werth called people he had met in Louisiana.

“Hey, you guys need a woodworker, they said ‘yes’ so I packed everything in my truck, all my tools and moved over,” Werth said. “I’m a fourth-generation furniture maker by trade. I got my great-grandpa’s first check for making a communion table for St. Joseph’s in Racine, Wisconsin. Back then it was called Bell City. They gave him a silver dollar and a silver 50-cent piece. I still have it. He saved it and I inherited it.”

Werth agreed he was a “hidden secret” in New Iberia because he doesn’t advertise. At the time of discovery, he had Spanish cedar sitting on the sawhorses. Once he finished work with the table saw, the rest of that door would be made completely with hand tools. He literally is the barefoot carpenter and laughingly said, “You get use to stepping on nails. I’m used to it.”

In addition to making furniture, Werth refinishes furniture which could include making new draws or repairing broken parts. He often finds pieces at garage sales and if something is missing or broken, he builds a new one to match. Although he doesn’t go looking for old junk often, he stays too busy, he said, — through word of mouth referrals.

“We got a staircase we’re doing with walnut posts. It’s going to be like a Corinthian column, just about every piece of equipment we have in here is antique. The plainer is the newest machine as far as equipment. The band saw is 1883, the table saw is 1903. It’s just pieces I’ve picked up through the years,” Werth said. “Everything I inherited was hand tools. All (my grandfather) had was a big band saw and after that, everything was done by hand. That’s how I was taught. We do our own turning in house, up to 10-foot, so far. It’s worked out fine.

Among his customers are Kerri Jackson, Freddie and Janita DeCourt.

Beginning with the Building

The space on Iberia Street is just under 4,000 square feet. When he bought it, there was a dividing wall which Werth has taken out, replacing any support beams that needed it. Early on while working at the salt mine during a hiatus from woodworking, he put away a third of his check every time and was able to pay cash for the shop. That’s how he does things, the old fashion way.

“Johnny and David Wormser gave me a deal on the place and years ago when I came to New Iberia JaJa had it. I would help Gayle Soileau who had JaJa’s Antique shop in this place. Last October (2016) my wife Sabrina (Delcambre) and I were taking a walk and saw they had it for rent,” Werth said. “I think they were waiting for the right person to come along. When they asked me what I was going to do with it, I told them I was going to build a wood shop and give it to the kids and grandkids. I’ll put it in a trust and they can have it when I want to retire.”

Werth said he had to pick up part of the ceiling an inch and 5/8ths and make beam sockets out of wood because the originals were closed off.

“I grew up doing construction and furniture, so I knew what to do. Actually, I started working on the building in January or February (2017),” Werth said. “People would just walk in and ask me what I was doing. I had a customer come in and said, ‘I’ve got a staircase and balustrade that’s been needing a railing for the last 15 years. No one wants to do it. Do you want to do it?’ I said yeah.”

Memories of Old

In the back of the shop is some original artwork that came with the building which was built in 1940. His mother-in-law remembers coming with her mother in 1941. The changing room area had a painted mural that is still there.

“My mother-in-law told me when she used to come here as a little girl, she remembered seeing that. It was originally a children’s clothing store for the Wormsers,” Werth said. “I have a friend that paints murals who I’m hoping will come restore it.”

His wife, Sabrina Delcambre Werth is from Avery Island and grew up in the Teche Area. One night he spotted her while out with a friend who suggested he go meet her. They exchanged numbers. He called that night to say, “I’m taking the first step, here’s my number. Call when you’re ready.” The rest is history. The two single parents, married and grew their family, his two boys and her two boys.

“It worked out rather well. She came over, I cooked dinner and we hung out and I think it was five months later we got married,” Werth said.

Her oldest son Ren Delcambre, 29, works with Werth at the shop. The younger one, Tyler Osborne, works in the oil industry.

“My oldest son, Matt, is in college. He’s going to be corporate lawyer, and my youngest son is 14. He comes over every now and then to use the compressor for his bike’s tire,” Werth said.

“I love this place. New Iberia reminds me of the place where I grew up. Ironically, we live two blocks away and where I grew up we were a mile away from the river,” Werth said.

Fishing was a favorite pastime growing up in Wisconsin and even though it’s not popular to do in the Bayou Teche, being near a water route reminds him of home.

Werth also does upholstery work. Much of the restoration on the discarded furniture ends up in the house they rent on St. Peter Street, an Owen Southwell tucked back off the road between to curb side buildings. It was during a photo trek through New Iberia shooting Southwell buildings that the treasure at Barefoot Woodworks was discovered. The Essanee Theater across the street is also a Southwell building and to capture a picture, the photographer had to stand in front of the carpenter’s shop.