Student-led Masks on a Rope helps people hang on to their masks

Two years of volunteering at the Community Resource Center in Encinitas helped inspire a business idea by a Canyon Crest Academy student for a school project.

“A bunch of people would come in but they wouldn’t be wearing their masks because they would say that they lost it in the car or they forgot it at home or they just dropped it,” said Wyatt Beal, a junior at CCA. “And that made me really think that if I could solve this problem, that would be a great business plan for my project that I had to come up with, and that’s why I decided to create MOAR.”

MOAR, which stands for Masks on a Rope, was started by Wyatt and four of his classmates: Jasper Blume, Audrey Chan, Xavier Chauvapun and Alan Gereb. It sells mask lanyards that allow people to wear their masks around their neck when it’s not on their faces.

“We’ve also got a bunch of great feedback from customers saying how much they love the mask and how it gives them peace of mind because they’ll never have to worry about losing their masks,” Wyatt said.

He added that the idea will also cut down on the number of masks that litter sidewalks and streets. The group’s initial plan is to sell all 250 in its inventory.

“I definitely want to keep the business going,” Wyatt said. “I think it’s really great for the community because it prevents the mask littering, because it’s always around your neck and it also ensures that people wear their masks. And I think COVID is not going away for a long time, so the more people wear their masks, the safer everyone’s going to be. So I definitely think that outside of this competition and for a long time to go, MOAR will be extremely useful.”

For more information, visit moarcompany.square.site.