818 Paracord Shop

The Origins of 818 Paracord

Christmas 2021, our daughter Jacey received a paracord bracelet kit. As any craft-loving 10-year-old might, she dove in headfirst—and suddenly our whole family was decked out in bracelets and keychains. Around that time, she began spending a lot of time with me (Dad) in the garage while I worked on my Victory Cross Country during her winter break. One day, she asked, “Can I make something for your bike?”

From that simple question came the very first set of paracord bag tethers. They weren’t perfect—the grommets were too big and the strap’s core wasn’t quite right—but they were made by my daughter, and that made them priceless. Naturally, I bragged on Facebook (as any proud dad would), and much to my surprise, it sparked massive interest.

Jacey and I talked at length about the learning experience and the business opportunity that suddenly appeared. She was excited to try it and suggested we charge “a million dollars” per set. Luckily, I talked her down to $25.

What started as a proud dad moment evolved into a small business run by a 10-year-old—with a little help from Dad. After filling her first round of 67 sets, she wanted to keep going, and asked if we could give our project a name. She chose “818 Paracord,” inspired by August 18th, 2021—the day I finalized the adoption of my amazing daughter, and she finally shared the same last name as her mommy. After some tears, hugs, and heartwarming moments, our family business was born.

We kept it going strong (over 500 sets on three continents) until I started a new job in spring 2023, and life pulled us in other directions.

⏩ Fast forward two years: Jacey’s a typical teenager now, and Mom and Dad find themselves missing the hustle and time together we shared during that project. So we decided to get back out there... plus she’s only a year and a half away from asking me for a car 😱