Wesley and Diana Page are creating tools that won’t help you survive the next meeting that should’ve been an email. But, the gear they make by hand in Moore County and sell via their brand, Superesse Straps, might make your next trip to the field a little easier.
Wesley, a local police officer, started making paracord bracelets for his team during his service in the U.S. Army. When he returned home, he posted photos of his work to a survivalist Facebook group. Immediately, the requests began pouring in for handmade items.
Growing Inventory — And a Following
Inventory grew to things like velcro morale patches that hid fishing kits, tape and flashlights; handkerchiefs that are tested up to 800 degrees for cooking over a campfire, or can act as water filtration devices, or a way to block call signals and credit card scanners. Mobile kits provide fire starters.
Wesley sold items one-by-one, through Facebook messages or email, until the requests got hard to keep track of. Then, the brand moved to Etsy.
“For the first two-and-a-half years, I thought that it wasn’t going to last,” Diana said. “But sales were steady.”
In 2015, the LLC was official. In 2016, sales moved to SuperesseStraps.com. By late 2017, Diana was working to fulfill sales almost full-time.
Meanwhile, their online following was growing by the thousands.
“The following came out of nowhere,” Wesley says. “I never had an Instagram before I started making these because I thought it was all photos of food and selfies. Now, I have seven accounts and over half a million followers for Superesse.”
Though he describes himself as “outdoorsy,” Wesley doesn’t consider himself a survivalist or a someone preparing for an inevitable doomsday. “I guess I went where the customers took me,” he says. “They found me and I adapted to what they needed.”
Follow Supresse Straps on Instagram; or see everything they offer on their website.
