Among Scrigit’s many cleaning and scraping
functions is removing pesky stickers.
Jay Feinberg said his mother had “long, sturdy” finger nails that she used as scrapers.
“I did not inherit that, my two sisters did not inherit that,” said the Frederick, Md., resident. “I said, there’s got to be something similar to that that I could develop that could be used to scrape small things without scratching.”
Whether Mrs. Feinberg or necessity was the mother of invention, Feinberg’s solution was to invent a plastic cleaning and scraping tool called the Scrigit, short for scraper and digit (as in finger).
Feinberg, 73, has an MBA and a background in marketing and product management. He endured a couple of layoffs, each after long tenures with companies.
“I really didn’t want to work for another company,” he said.
He began developing the Scrigit concept in 2013, founded the company a year later and realized his first sale in January 2015, a hardware store near Feinberg’s native Cleveland.
Covid was a boon for business.
“It was helpful at the time with the pandemic that people were at home online ordering things — and they were ordering things to clean” with, Feinberg said.
I hadn’t heard of the Scrigit until January of this year, when my ever-adopting sister Lisa handed us one. She swears by the pencil-like plastic device.
Useful American-made products
Stay recently added Scrigit to what we refer to as our general store inventory, aka useful American-made products that also include dish cloths, dish towels, can and jar openers, notebooks.
Although graphic tees are what we sell most, we continue to add curated American-made products at a value price point. Our most expensive item is a $50 Hershey hooded sweatshirt; the Scrigits are $10 and $13.50.
There’s the two-pack with two of the original blue, pen-like scrapers that come complete with pocket clips and feature a finger nail-like end. There’s also the green wide-blade option, available as a three-pack.
Among the Scrigit targets: grease and grime, soap buildup, labels and stickers, candle wax. Other uses include opening pull tabs on cans or even peeling oranges.
“If you ever had a Double A battery leak, you’re trying to clean out the crusty stuff from the single battery holder,” Feinberg said. “The blue one fits just perfectly.”
A family-owned company in Florida manufactures the injection-molded Scrigit; another Sunshine State company helps with packaging and advertising.
Feinberg sells through Amazon and directly to Ace Hardware and Orgill, a wholesaler to independent hardware stores, among others. In my case, he shipped my tiny starter order from his home.
One of his neighbors asked Feinberg what he does.
“She was amazed,” he said. “She just looked at me. She said, ‘Oh, I just gave 11 of my friends and family Scrigit two-packs for Christmas.’ ”
I think the Scrigit makes a perfect stocking stuffer. But if you’re going to gift them to 11 people, we’re going to need more Scrigits.