Like Kermit the Frog said, “It’s not easy being green.”
Rick Carter-owner of Rickshaw Rick’s pedicab business-saw some struggles in his second year of business.
“It’s going OK; I wouldn’t say it’s going great,” Carter said about his business in a recent phone interview. “People seem to not know what to do with me.”
He said people in the village seem confused about his service in general: What is he doing? Who is it for? How do I contact him?
“It’s perplexing to me to try and figure out what I need to do to step it up so that people think more readily of using me for their short trips,” he said. “Why not save your gas and let us pedal you?”
Carter tried offering free service to customers at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market to help people with their groceries and give a free rickshaw sample, but everyone just looked at him like he was crazy.
The company does weddings and block parties, but Carter said he’s seen decreases in those areas over the past year. So, to try and enliven his business model, the company is focusing more on giving tours through north, south, and downtown Oak Park.
Carter wants to expand the venture further in the future, finding more niche areas to explore. Some possibilities include ice cream, celebrity, gangster, or literary tours through Oak Park.
The owner, an Oak Parker, would love to make Rickshaw Rick’s a village institution, but he sees other towns on the horizon. If business continues in the same fashion, Carter says the company will probably expand into Forest Park and Chicago.
In July 2005, the Oak Park man started a bicycle rickshaw business as an environmentally friendly alternative to getting around town. Carter recently got rid of his car and joined the I-GO car sharing program in an effort to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” as a green-conscious businessman.
Harry Potter day was a big success for the pedicab business-they set a single day sales record, but it was a rare occurrence.
“It was amazing. I’ve never seen that many human beings in Oak Park without the streets caving in,” Carter said. “It was a huge success for the village and, thankfully, for me as well. We’re just looking for ways to replicate that big success.”
Rickshaw Rick’s is online at www.rickshawrick.com. Rides are $5 for under 15 minutes, $10 for under a half-hour, $15 for 45 minutes and $20 for an hour. Carter can be reached at (773) 771-3922.
-Marty Stempniak