Life-changing diagnosis won’t stop Timbo from selling his popular boiled peanuts

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCBD) – It’s a salty snack enjoyed by many, some even going as far as calling boiled peanuts the caviar of the south.

Timothy Grainger, known to many as Timbo the Peanut Man, has mastered his recipe at a well-known roadside stand along Highway 61 in the West Ashley area.

You can’t miss what some call a local landmark: an orange peanut-shaped stand.

“Everybody calls me Timbo the Peanut Man. More people know me by that nickname than my real name,” said Grainger, more affectionately known to the community as Timbo.

It’s a nickname he got as a kid.

“A lot of people from the South have nicknames, Bubba or you know, mine’s Timbo, and I just, I needed a name for the peanut business,” explained Timbo, who has turned his passion for peanuts into a career for more than 30 years.

“Best decision I’ve ever made, and it’s been good to me,” he said.

Timbo spoke about the loyalty of his customers saying, “They have always been. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people,” who come to the roadside stand regularly.

You can purchase two flavors: regular and Cajun; however, they are only available on Fridays and Sundays while Timbo is on dialysis after a life-changing diagnosis resulted in him losing his kidneys.

“I come close to, you know, biting the big one […] you know, hitting the dust,” shared Timbo, who is still getting around and working while waiting to get a kidney.

“There’s a long waiting list and the ones that are waiting, like me, don’t get discouraged. Get the can-do attitude and you think positive. That’s what I’m trying to do. I have my days and I just say, I shake it off and say wake up, you can do better than that,” said Timbo.

Taking pride in his boiled peanuts, Timbo is just thankful for the community’s continued support of his business.

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