Made in Arizona: Unique, handmade bracelets for any occasion

MESA, Ariz. - Survival bracelets. They're pretty popular in Arizona. One Mesa couple picked up on that trend and started making them, calling their business Knotted Innovations.

Like so many successful entrepreneurs, John Lefkowski of Mesa built a business around a simple hobby. Back in 2010, he was working for the Boy Scouts of America in Payson where he started making paracord bracelets.

"I was just posting on Facebook and friends liked it," Lefkowski said.

The idea took off and not before long, Lefkowski and his wire, Amber, starting selling custom orders. 

"We made a Spider-Man bracelet and the cool thing about this is this microcord actually glows in the dark, too," Lefkowski said. 

Bracelets, belts, pet collars, leashes, lanyards — all will cool stitch patterns, colors, and themes to match your needs.

"I've learned how to make a bunch of different styles," Lefkowski said. "Like, I can make football bracelets for specific teams too. Like, I have ASU bracelets [and] Cardinals bracelets."

The paracord is durable and often carried as a survival tool by people who love the outdoors. Right now, the Lefkowskis are sticking to social media to help sell their products. They plan to work with different pet events around the Valley and hopefully take their business statewide.

"I think we can eventually get into big box stores," Lefkowski said. "For right now, we're doing more custom work."