What do you do with those broken tools?
Avanti Tools & Accessories has the answer
Contractors or do-it-yourselfers wanting to get their broken power tools fixed rather than buying brand new tools now have an avenue to do just that.
"Why take a good tool that can be fixed and throw it away if it stops working?" asked Mike Partipilo III, owner of Avanti Tools & Accessories Inc. at 421 E. Fifth St. in Peru, which opened in February 2012.
"I am here to help blue collar workers, do-it-yourselfers, hobbyists, homeowners and contractors," he said. "Tool repair is the core of this business."
His slogan for the business is buy, sell, trade and repair new, used and reconditioned tools.
"I am the only DeWalt distributor in this area that repairs tools," he added.
Partipilo also provides on-site service calls. He had 25 years of experience as a pattern maker in the foundry and plastics industry prior to opening his first shop in Aurora in 1999.
"I went into the tool business because I had worked on prototypes in manufacturing," he added. "I love sales, and repairs are up my line because I made many prototypes."
Partipilo sells DeWalt, Bosch, Stanley Bostitch, Skil, Paslode, Jet, Powermatic and Porter Cable power tools.
One of the keys to Partipilo's business is the higher number of metal and woodworkers in this area of Illinois versus the Chicago suburbs, he said.
Avanti Tools & Accessories also has drop off centers in Naperville and Plano for its customers closer to Chicago, so those customers can leave their broken tools to get them fixed.
People have brought Partipilo boxes and baskets full of broken tools that he was able to fix, saving them money from having to buy new power tools.
Avanti Tools & Accessories also has a contractors' board at the business where business cards can be displayed for Partipilo to refer these contractors to potential customers coming into the store.
Avanti means leadership and moving forward in Italian. Being Italian, Partipilo's family loved the name and thought it showed distinction and was business-like, he said.
"I just chuckle when people call me Mr. Avanti," he said.
Partipilo can be contacted by calling 815-780-8677 or by emailing him at avantitoolsinc@yahoo.com. He is also on Facebook,
The business is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. It is open on Sunday only by appointment.
Partipilo moved to the Illinois Valley from the Aurora and Montgomery area where he was in business for 13 years.
