Man Creates Niche Biz Cleaning Up Chewing Gum
The Charleston Post and Courier:
Armed with a wand of superheated steam, Charleston’s self-proclaimed goo-buster sets out to eradicate the rainbow of petrified chewing gum that has become a sticky form of folk art in the city’s Market area.
Entrepreneur David Samios calls himself The Charleston Gum Guy, and he’s looking to build a niche industry removing gnawed-over wads from defaced spaces across the Lowcountry. Among his first targets are the monuments to mastication that inspired his business: the Charleston “gum poles.”
Samios, a 40-year-old Summerville resident, saw opportunity where others saw yuck. He bought some gum-cleaning equipment and the city of Charleston agreed to pay him about $100 to clean one of the sticky shafts.
He hopes to clean the others as well, if South Carolina Gas & Electric signs off on the work. He’s also lined up work removing chewable deposits from a local movie theater and the Charleston International Airport.
Photo by The Charleston Post and Courier.
pupuy on March 10th, 2009 2:41 pm
what a creative person..
if they everyday people making a change with some niche, maybe money will not be a benchmark again. You just doing for the people and the world
Jaclyn on March 11th, 2009 11:25 am
That is a very creative and awesome idea! when you think about it, people stick gum just about anywhere…and after a while it does become quite a problem just trying to walk down a sidewalk without stepping in someone else’s gum and spit.
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