A friend of mine sent me a text message this past weekend: “Did you know that they make spray paint specifically for graffiti?” He is a police officer (and former teenage graffiti writer). I thought he was joking and replied, “That’s capitalism for you. I wish I had thought of that idea.”

Today I saw that he was actually serious. There is a company from Barcelona Spain called MTN (Montana) that makes specific markers and spray paint for graffiti. There’s even an online store called Art Primo where you can get spray caps. FYI, you need to throw away the stock caps and get specific caps for smooth or fat spray lines.

Graffiti is illegal in most (if not all) cities, so this is a bit surprising to me. In many ways it actually takes the fun out of graffiti. Part of the fun is using something that was designed for a pedestrian purpose (like painting a bike or chair) and using it to paint a mural. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised to see a graffiti store at your local mall in a few years right next to Hot Topic.

Can you think of any other niche businesses that surprise you?