Jim Sheetz wanted to build a better bracket.

The 67-year-old entrepreneur had had enough of those flimsy, ordinary shelves that provide about as much support as spaghetti to really heavy loads. So Sheetz has come up with shelf brackets that he says can support a small car.

“My guess is they’ll hold anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 pounds,” said Sheetz, the general partner of Garden Grove-based Nu-Grip Storage Systems, which makes the brackets.

The secret? Sheetz says the brackets--which attach to garage or storage-room studs--use a “patented shear-load” principle. That translates to a box-shaped bracket supported by a diagonal brace underneath--”the same structural unit they use to make bridges,” according to Sheetz.

There are three types of brackets, including one intended for use in rental storage sheds. They retail for about $7.49 apiece.

The brackets got some support last month when American Wholesale Hardware began distributing them to 1,500 stores in Southern California and Arizona. And that could be only the beginning. Sheetz hopes to raise $100,000 to expand operations.