FATHER and
son duo Sean and Stephen Mooney are literally stopping traffic by whizzing around the city in a three
wheeled yellow mini-van dressed as Batman and Robin.
In a nod to
famous Peckham wheeler-dealers, Del Boy and Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and
Horses, Sean (57) and Stephen’s Batmobile is the same
three-wheeled Reliant Robin made famous in the hit TV series.
But the pair
from Finglas aren’t lost on their way to a fancy dress, like Del and Rodney
were in one of their Christmas specials. They are, in fact, fully kitted out
for their work of ridding households throughout the city of unwanted junk as
part of their new business venture, classified ad website www.flogevery
thing.com.
The business
was born in January after Sean’s upholstery business went
“belly up
?, which he
blames on the
“inaction of the jokers running the country
?.
“The last thing
I wanted to do was sign on the dole and for my son, who worked with me, to hop
on a plane and head off like the thousands of other emigrants in search of
work,
? he told Northside People.
“I wanted to
keep him here and instil a bit of hope so we decided to invest our last few bob
in a classified website business.
“Also, I
decided one day on a whim to buy a Reliant Robin that I saw on the side of a
road one day.
“I thought it
would be a great way of getting attention to highlight the website. We then
decided to go one step further and to dress as Batman and Robin like the scene
out of Only Fools and Horses.
?
Sean and
Stephen’s trademark has already caused quite a stir and almost a few fender
benders among passing motorists.
“We’ve
literally stopped traffic and nearly caused two or three crashes because people
are so distracted,
? Sean said.
“I’ve seen
people with their phones out their windows trying to record and take pictures
of us.
“There’s been a
great reaction.
?
But the
officials at NAMA headquarters were less than impressed and entertained when
the caped crusaders recently visited their offices.
“We wanted to
offer our services to NAMA so we said
‘listen we’ll flog your gear for you’,
?
Sean recalled.
“They declined
our offer and we got kicked out of the building.
?
On a serious
note, Sean and Stephen hope that their new business will keep them afloat in
the future.
The website
generates revenue from classified adverts costing
?¬2 that people can post to
advertise anything they have worth selling.
Ten per cent of
revenue generated from each ad is also donated to the Jack and Jill Foundation
charity.
“With the
recession people are realising that they have all these things at home that
could be worth money so we think this is the ideal time to start a business
like this,
? Sean stated.
“We’re doing
pretty well at the moment thanks to all the publicity and we have secured a
large warehouse in Northside Industrial Estate free of charge that we hope to
use as our base and possibly as a retail outlet for a recession shop.
?
In true
entrepreneurial character, Sean has high hopes for he and his son’s new
business, which he believes has the potential to create hundreds of jobs
throughout the country.
“This is a good
recession proof story which we think will give other budding entrepreneurs
hope,
? he said.