Wicked Grain

Wicked Grain is a family-owned custom furniture maker in Overland Park, Kansas, founded by Jacob “Jake” Matz around 2012 out of a high-school art-class fundraiser that built tables from salvaged baseball-bleacher wood.¹² The shop hand-builds one-of-a-kind live-edge, reclaimed-wood, and barnwood furniture — farmhouse tables, doors, shelving, and slabs — from a workshop at 7893 Mastin Dr, using lumber largely sourced from Kansas.¹³²

Description

Wicked Grain is a family-owned custom furniture business based in Overland Park, Kansas, that makes one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted pieces from live-edge slabs, hardwoods, authentic barnwood, and reclaimed wood.¹ Its product line spans indoor and outdoor farmhouse tables — the bestselling “Land of Oz” model among them — along with custom doors, shelving, accessories, and raw live-edge slabs sold for use as vanities, bar tops, and DIY projects.¹²

The shop emphasizes locally and sustainably sourced wood. Roughly 90% of its reclaimed lumber comes from Against the Grain Lumber in Topeka, Kansas, and additional material is salvaged from Kansas farms and country properties — 100-plus-year-old barnwood, old baseball-bleacher wood, and lodge siding — alongside kiln-dried hardwoods such as oak and walnut.² Common woods include cedar, fir, and pine with optional hardwood upgrades.² The business operates from a workshop at 7893 Mastin Dr, Overland Park, just off I-35, open Monday–Friday.³⁴

Ownership and history

Wicked Grain grew out of Jacob Matz’s work as a high-school art teacher.² Inspired by his grandfather’s woodworking, Matz had students build side tables and step stools as an art-program fundraiser using aged wood salvaged from the school district’s old baseball bleachers.² He enjoyed the work enough to keep building at home and selling through Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and personal connections, eventually renting a small space inside a local metal shop to work after hours.⁵ As demand grew he turned the side hustle into a full-time business; press reporting places the full-time transition around 2013, while the official team page cites 2015.²⁵

Matz is the co-owner and co-founder and serves as lead designer; he holds a master’s degree (cited as special education / a longtime educator background).²⁵ The business originally began as a husband-and-wife venture; the couple later separated while remaining friends.⁵ Elijah Kleine — described as an artist, DJ, and photographer — joined after the COVID-19 pandemic as the epoxy-resin specialist, handling live-edge slab work and logistics, and is presented as a creative partner.⁵ A third craftsperson, Jude Smith, joined in 2020 as a master sander, packer, clear-coat tech, and wood artist.⁵

Directory and listing sources cite a founding year of 2012; the founding story (the bleacher-wood fundraiser and side-hustle phase) predates the full-time launch.³²

Links

• Official site: https://www.wickedgrain.com/
• Our Story: https://www.wickedgrain.com/our-story
• Team: https://www.wickedgrain.com/wg-team
• Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WickedGrain
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wickedgrain/
• Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/furniture-and-accessories/wicked-grain-pfvwus-pf~2049909866

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. Wicked Grain, official website — https://www.wickedgrain.com/ — asserts: family-owned KC-area custom furniture maker; one-of-a-kind pieces from live-edge slabs, hardwoods, authentic barnwood, and reclaimed wood; product line of tables, slabs, doors, accessories. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Kansas City Magazine, “A former art teacher turns reclaimed wood into stylish and sturdy patio tables” — https://kansascitymag.com/a-former-art-teacher-turns-reclaimed-wood-into-stylish-and-sturdy-patio-tables/ — asserts: owner Jacob Matz; origin as school fundraiser using salvaged baseball-bleacher wood; ~2013 full-time transition; KC-based art teacher/carpenter; products incl. indoor-outdoor farmhouse tables (“Land of Oz”), doors, shelving, live-edge slabs; cedar/fir/pine with oak/walnut upgrades; ~90% reclaimed wood from Against the Grain Lumber, Topeka, KS; address 7893 Mastin Dr, Overland Park, off I-35. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. Yelp / directory listings, Wicked Grain (Updated March 2025) — https://www.yelp.com/biz/wicked-grain-overland-park — asserts: address 7893 Mastin Dr, Overland Park, KS 66204; furniture store category; phone (913) 325-9188; established 2012; hours Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–4:00 PM; listing active/open. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Google Maps / Chamber of Commerce / BBB listings — https://www.chamberofcommerce.com/business-directory/kansas/overland-park/furniture-maker/2011548851-wicked-grain-custom-furniture — asserts: address 7893 Mastin Dr, Overland Park, KS 66204; family-owned custom furniture maker; cross-confirms street address and ZIP. ↩

5. Wicked Grain, “Our Story” + “WG Team” pages — https://www.wickedgrain.com/our-story / https://www.wickedgrain.com/wg-team — asserts: Jacob Matz co-owner/co-founder and lead designer, former educator, full-time woodworking from 2015; began as husband-and-wife venture (later separated, remain friends); Elijah Kleine epoxy-resin specialist/creative partner who joined post-COVID (live-edge slab work, logistics); Jude Smith joined 2020 as master craftsperson; early sales via Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace and a rented space in a local metal shop. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶