In the live production world, there was a product called “spider pod”. It is a riser for a camera tripod to get the camera up higher. It came with a step for the camera operator. A metal worker who used to work in television made it, patented it, and ran the entire business out of his shed. It became a staple in the television industry. After his last kid graduated college, he retired. You can now only get them used and nothing has replaced them on the market.
this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2026
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If you’re sitting on a million dollar market gap, why are you telling us about it and not making it?
Because it hasn’t been long enough for the patent to expire so no one is allowed to make it.
Not entirely true, anyone could make it with his permission and pay him royalties.
Long time ago, I got to visit a bingo blotter factory. They're kind of like markers made especially to mark bingo cards.
Lol now that is specific!
Decades ago, I worked for a laser animation company. We built lasers and created animated programs for planetarium laser shows and live events. It was a fun experience, but hella niche.
You know those plastic ball pits that they have for kids to play in at places like fast food restaurants (moreso pre-COVID)? My understanding from working in the industry is that there is a machine that can quickly clean and sterilize those plastic balls. It’s a machine made by one old man, and it’s the only practical way to clean those plastic balls. So any place across the entire planet that wants to not let those ball pits get gross has to buy one of these machines from this one guy.
(And yes, I know I’m inviting people to think I’m making this up because “ball-washing lol”… but I’m 100% serious).
Repairing old antique/vintage record players/phonographs
My son does that but he also repairs cars and builds/repairs guitar amps, pedals, etc. So, yeah, the old stereo thing definitely doesn't pay the bills.
Every mattress store ever.
I used to be convinced that mattress stores had to be a front for money laundering operations, but then I needed a new mattress. I went to the local store, and it was a good experience. The guy working knew everything about all the different versions and patiently answered all our questions. We wound up with a mattress that was perfect for our needs.
Apparently mattress stores are very high profit and need minimal staff (there was only the one guy every time we went in). They don’t have to sell many to stay profitable.
They also can turn the property on a dime: a truck to haul the mattresses away and it is back to vacant space ready for the next move-in tenant.
Not especially niche (there are lots of people who fish) but a strange product/company optics disconnect. I’ve seen their products all over the place and my friends who fish swear by them. We drove past their corporate office once - it’s in a tiny town with a population of 300 and it looks like an abandoned auto repair shop.
Got a buddy who has a sewing table custom aftermarket business and one of the side operations is a little wire doodle making machine that cranks out commemorative plate holders....like for a display...and that got me to go 'huh....guess someone does have to make those'... But a very specific use in a niche market indeed.
Reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_22oCIurbs
Mr. Mann is my favourite Little Britain sketch!
"I'm looking for a painting of a disappointed horse"
"How about this one?"
"That horse looks more perturbed than disappointed"
😀yeah so good
how about this one?
Well that one does look disappointed but not because it received bad news, but because it had high expectations in life that will remain unfulfilled.
They essentially sell raw material. This seems like the least specific business you can possibly have.
Tyres?
The person making these railroad crossing sirens: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nXdVG45wveo (Technology Connections)
There's a lot of people in the world. If they offer international shipping, I'm sure whatever company you're thinking of has a sufficient customer base.
There was this small store that sold barbecue accessories. That by itself is not so unusual, if it wasn't for its location. It was way too far into a tiny town, meaning nobody other than the locals would ever stumble upon it. It's potential pool of customers was like a thousand people at most.
Eventually they started selling rotisserie chicken on weekends and I became a regular.