Tampa Tribune

Tampa Tribune, The (FL)

March 22, 2005

What Do You Say To A Naked Handyman?

Author: STEVEN ISBITTS; sisbitts@tampatrib.com

Edition: FINAL
Section: BAYLIFE
Page: 1
Dateline: ST. PETERSBURG

Article Text:

After shedding a few pounds, a St. Petersburg entrepreneur decides to shed his clothes, too.

By STEVEN ISBITTS

sisbitts@tampatrib.com

ST. PETERSBURG — When Dan Mlotkowski gets ready to fix a sink, he pulls off his shirt, drops his pants and straps on his tool belt.

Then he's NakeDan the Handyman, stripped and ready for repairs.

A 44-year-old St. Petersburg entrepreneur, Mlotkowski has parlayed a recent 50-pound weight loss and 20-plus years of handyman experience into a one-of-a-kind business.

Don't laugh. With rates of about $130 per hour, Mlotkowski says his schedule is nearly booked through April.

"I finally found the perfect business for myself," said Mlotkowski, a married nudist and former advertising salesman and contractor.

"I'm making money. I don't have to deal with unreliable employees. There's no competition, and I am working to become a force in overcoming people associating nudity with sex."

Mlotkowski said he came up with the venture after a doctor's visit last year. He had high blood pressure and was given two choices: Tak! e daily medication or lose weight.

"I took off 35 pounds in about four months and started thinking: "Hey, maybe I could be working in the nude.' "

He now weighs 198 pounds (waist 33 inches) and "simply loves being naked as much as possible," according to his Web site, www.nakedan.com.

NakeDan was born in October. (There's a NakeDan the Notary, too.) His clients have been both women and men, with mostly gay men so far. He works in Pinellas County but plans to expand to Hillsborough County.

Hands-Off Policy

Last week, Mlotkowski drove his tool-filled red pickup truck to the St. Petersburg home of Yolanda Bryant, a married nurse who's a repeat customer.

Installing blinds was the main order of the day, in addition to fixing two doors and a kitchen leak and doing some caulking in a bathroom.

Bryant said her curiosity and a growing list of home improvement jobs led her to give the naked handyman a try.

As all NakeDan clients must do, Bryant first had to sign a contract saying she wouldn't touch him or behave sexually in any way. She also agreed children wouldn't be present and she would keep the shades drawn.

"The first time he was here, I signed the contract, but he still caught me off guard," Bryant said. "I turned around and he was undressing.

"After the initial "mmmm,' I watched him. He looks good, but I'm too busy to just sit around and stare."

Bryant said she and her husband, who is not pre! sent when Mlotkowski works, were pleased with his installation of a kitchen appliance and a garage light, so they brought him back again last week.

Mlotkowski will work clothed — no price discount, though — but for Bryant, he stays nude until the job is completed.

"I've had shoddy work done by guys showing their beer bellies and plumber's crack," Bryant said. "So I'd rather look at Dan, and he's reliable and does great work."

Hearing one-liners from friends and clients comes with the territory for a naked handyman.

The most popular jabs include the words "danger" and "saw," Mlotkowski said. "The puns are endless, which helps keep things fun."

Screening Calls

Mlotkowski said he also spends a fair amount of time turning down strange requests from callers responding to his ads in local publications and his Web site.

"I've been asked if I would dance at parties, wrestle or be Tasered ... among others," Mlotkowski said. "It's clear on my Web site that I'm not about any of that, but some people don't want to believe it.

"I've been hit on at job sites, but nearly all my customers have been totally professional."

Professionalism is the reason Roy Josephs of Safety Harbor and Ann Beam of St. Petersburg said they've hired Mlotkowski multiple times.

"I thought this was just an advertising gimmick at first," Josephs said. "We were in desperate need of a handyman, and I found Dan on the Internet.

"He did some roof work for us with his clothes on, and he worked nude in the house.

"I don't know what to think about it all, really. If he stays reliable and does! good work, I'll keep using him."

Reporter Steven Isbitts can be reached at (727) 451-2336.

Caption:
Tribune photos by BRUCE HOSKING

Repeat customer Yolanda Bryant of St. Petersburg says curiosity and a growing list of home improvement jobs — including a leak in her kitchen — led her to give NakeDan the Handyman a try. "He's reliable and does great work," the married nurse adds.

(2) After nudist Dan Mlotkowski brings his tools inside and the work order is signed, he takes off his clothes and gets to work. Among the jobs Bryant and her husband have for him is to fix a door, right. He charges $130 per hour.

After repairs are complete, Dan Mlotkowski puts his clothes back on to get paid. His schedule is nearly filled through April.

Tribune photos by BRUCE HOSKING

Yolanda Bryant inspects a door after NakeDan the Handyman had finished shimming it. Mlotkowski's clients sign a contract saying they won't touch him or behave sexually in any way.PHOTO 5