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.