Jim VanBlaricum

Instructor / Marketing Manager

Jim is an instructor and the shop’s marketing manager. He was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, and grew up learning the basics of woodworking from his father, a lifelong hobbyist. After spending several years in Brooklyn, NY, Jim moved back to LA in 2014 to build and open his own bar, Bernadette’s, a project which also reignited his love for woodworking. Bernadette’s and its sister restaurant, Buddy’s, closed in the wake of the pandemic, and Jim began taking classes here at LAWS in 2021 to improve his skills and start a new professional chapter. He came onboard as an instructor in early 2023.

He and his wife run June Gloom, a small design studio, and Nightcap Lodge, a vacation rental cabin in Big Bear that they designed/remodeled as a quarantine project. They live in Alhambra with their very friendly senior pup Peanut (a frequent presence in the shop) and two cats, who are sweet little jerks.