When Teah Mazzoni started her nautical jewelry business, Anchor Me Bracelet, in 2013 she had no plans to quit her day job, hire staff or create a cannabis-inspired line. Yet, less than two years later, Mazzoni has done all of that and sold 38,000 pieces of jewelry.

A former English language learning specialist in the Old Rochester Regional school district, Mazzoni made her first anchor bracelet after she failed to find one she liked in stores. Using leather cording and anchor pendants she found online, Mazzoni created a simple bracelet for herself and three more for friends and family as a symbol of their bond.

“They’ve been my anchor in life and have kept me grounded,” said Mazzoni.

Other friends latched onto the idea, and Mazzoni’s boyfriend Tim Keogh suggested she sell them. They were soon in tri-town stores, Newport, Martha’s Vineyard, Florida and even the Virgin Islands. In less than two months, Mazzoni had sold 2,000 bracelets.

“I didn’t start this to start a company,” said Mazzoni, who resigned from teaching last May. “I was not in the market to leave education. I wasn’t like, ‘This is a million dollar idea. I’m going to quit my job.’”

But as the bracelets’ popularity increased, it became more difficult to work full time and then fill orders late into the night at her Mattapoisett home. Plus, Mazzoni had new nautical ideas, including the Catch Me bracelet with a fish hook design and the Inspire Me bracelet with a round design reminiscent of a life preserver.

Mazzoni also got inspiration through her boyfriend’s work. She and Keogh moved to Denver, Colorado in September so he could take a position as CEO of AmeriCann, a publicly traded company focused on medical marijuana research, development and cultivation.

As she learned more about the industry, Mazzoni said she wanted to help break down the stereotypes surrounding medical marijuana. A few weeks ago, she launched her new cannabis jewelry company, Elevated Lines, with the Regulate Me bracelet. The company debuted at the National Cannabis Industry Association where 600 people took home a bracelet.

“We’re getting the word out that cannabis is not scary,” she said. “It keeps people off prescription pain medication. It’s changing lives.”

Mazzoni hopes to spread the word with the new company whose tagline is “raising awareness and breaking barriers.”

Although she is living in Colorado, Mazzoni returns to Massachusetts at least once a month for her company.

Mazzoni decided against outsourcing the bracelets from China, keeping operations in the northeast.

“If we can pull this all into New England, how awesome would that be?” said Mazzoni.

She now has a small staff based in Fall River. The metal for each product is also cast in Rhode Island using Mazzoni’s designs.

Mazzoni and Keogh plan to transition back to Massachusetts in the future.

Keogh’s company, Coastal Compassion, recently won a license to sell medical marijuana in Fairhaven. His team will now go through the process of getting the remaining permits needed to operate in the town.

Meanwhile, Keogh, Anchor Me’s original marketer, said he likes where Mazzoni's creative streak has taken her.

“I’m really proud of the work that Teah’s done in growing Anchor Me Bracelet into the company that it is now,” he said. “I see this new endeavor with Elevated Lines to be a real opportunity to build a brand within a growing industry. No pun intended.”

For her part, Mazzoni said she’s excited about where she is in life.

“I couldn’t be happier about where I am,” she said.

Learn more about Anchor Me and Elevated Lines here and here.