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| Niemisto washes windows for 80 businesses located in the downtown area. |
84-year-old man making downtown Marquette "Someplace Special" one window at a time - Through out the year, TV6 highlights members of the community who are making a difference. This week's "Someplace Special" report highlights a man who has been taking care of downtown Marquette for the past 30 years. As tourists and locals move in and out of the shops on Washington Street, there is a man who spends his time traveling from window to window, making sure they are squeaky clean.
His name is Philip Niemisto, and for the past 30 years, he has made it his mission to keep downtown Marquette, and a part of the city he calls home, a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy. "I had to figure out some way to get some money in, so I went into the place where I was already working, Ben Franklin's, and I found some old window tools and I came out, started cleaning, and pretty soon people across the street started calling to me, and so I thought to myself, looks like this might be my new career," said Niemisto.
Niemisto washes windows for 80 businesses located in the downtown area. "They're not really your customers; they're sort of like your family. You get to know each one of those people in the stores. They got some problems--they tell you about their problems--you know, back and forth, and so it's kind of like having a family down here," Niemisto said.
A combination of donations and the money he earns from his window washing business also helps Niemisto with his flower garden. "When you plant flowers, you don't bury it right away. You just set it down and you can mix things back and forth. Otherwise if you bury, you got to come back in and rearrange." Niemisto said. He also added, he is not retiring anytime soon. "That'll put you in bed in a hurry or you're going to be laid out. You have to keep actively busy, going all the time. As a matter of fact, washing windows was a smart move because it forced me to walk everyday."
So if you happen to be downtown Marquette, look around for Mr. Niemisto because everyday, no matter what the weather, he is making Marquette someplace special. If you are interested in helping Mr. Niemisto maintain his flower garden right next to the Wild Rover Pub, there is a donation can inside Book World right next to the register. Full video here (no subtitles).
His name is Philip Niemisto, and for the past 30 years, he has made it his mission to keep downtown Marquette, and a part of the city he calls home, a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy. "I had to figure out some way to get some money in, so I went into the place where I was already working, Ben Franklin's, and I found some old window tools and I came out, started cleaning, and pretty soon people across the street started calling to me, and so I thought to myself, looks like this might be my new career," said Niemisto.
Niemisto washes windows for 80 businesses located in the downtown area. "They're not really your customers; they're sort of like your family. You get to know each one of those people in the stores. They got some problems--they tell you about their problems--you know, back and forth, and so it's kind of like having a family down here," Niemisto said.
A combination of donations and the money he earns from his window washing business also helps Niemisto with his flower garden. "When you plant flowers, you don't bury it right away. You just set it down and you can mix things back and forth. Otherwise if you bury, you got to come back in and rearrange." Niemisto said. He also added, he is not retiring anytime soon. "That'll put you in bed in a hurry or you're going to be laid out. You have to keep actively busy, going all the time. As a matter of fact, washing windows was a smart move because it forced me to walk everyday."
So if you happen to be downtown Marquette, look around for Mr. Niemisto because everyday, no matter what the weather, he is making Marquette someplace special. If you are interested in helping Mr. Niemisto maintain his flower garden right next to the Wild Rover Pub, there is a donation can inside Book World right next to the register. Full video here (no subtitles).
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