Romeoville siblings repair window screens to pay for Scout activities

Two years ago, Sheri McDonald of Plainfield noticed a few holes in her window screens.

But she saw on a Facebook group for moms that Dante Gentile, a Boy Scout in Romeoville, was repairing screens to pay for his Scouting projects. So, McDonald sent the screens to him and said he did a “fantastic” job, and has promoted Dante Gentile’s skills ever since.

“We took every single screen out of our house – I think it was 15 or 16 of them, all sizes – and he had them done within a week,” McDonald said. “They looked completely professional. I was really, really impressed. … I wasn’t sure if they’d be loose, but nope. They were just nice and tight.”

Sara Gentile, Dante Gentile’s mother, said Dante, now 15, started the business known as Two Scouts Screen Repair four years ago. His sister Sophia Gentile, 11, and a Girl Scout, occasionally helps out to earn money for her own Scout activities, Sara Gentile said.

Dante Gentile was hoping to start a lawn mowing service, but it wasn’t practical for him, especially since he was too young to drive. The window screen repair idea came by accident. Sara Gentile was repairing her own window screens on the kitchen floor one day and Dante was assisting her, she said.

Sara Gentile said she went out to the garage for a few moments. When she returned, Dante Gentile had repaired two screens. Two weeks later, she realized screen repair could work as a business venture for Dante Gentile.

“We started posting it on Facebook, and the work started trickling in,” Sara Gentile said.

Business basics

Dante and Sophia Gentile run Two Scouts Screen Repair from March to October, the peak season for customer requests, Sara Gentile said. Dante Gentile also is busy with hockey by October, so he takes a break until spring, and she’s able to use the garage again.

Repair requests also drop between mid-July and the end of August, when people typically close their windows and keep their air conditioners on, Sara Gentile said. But business picks up in September.

Customers bring the screens to Dante Gentile, she said. Cost for the repairs typically runs $15 to $21, depending on the screen size, Sara Gentile said. Customers drop off their screens. Dante Gentile can repair one screen every 15 minutes on average and 30 to 40 screens per week, she said.

But there are exceptions. Sara Gentile recalled a major hailstorm over Memorial Day weekend in 2019, when it seemed “everyone was affected.”

“We counted about 400 screens in our garage at one time,” Sara Gentile said. “That’s when I jumped in and my husband jumped in. People want them quickly. So at that time, we were probably putting out 100 a week.”

Sara Gentile said she started a spreadsheet so Dante can see gross sales, cost of materials and his profit margin. Dante Gentile said he’s learned that running a business is more than simply performing the service.

“It’s a lot more complicated than I thought it was, with all the stuff you have to do – money, inventory, buying materials – mainly the management part of it.” Dante said. “And just the advertising, too. The more often people see it, the more likely they’ll try it.”

Dante Gentile said he spends many summer days repairing screens. “Sometimes if it’s a long day, we’ll put a small TV in the garage, so it’s a little more entertaining.” He said the most challenging part of repairing a screen is removing an old rubber or metal spline. “It’s a lot more difficult to take out. If it’s dried out, it comes out in little pieces instead of all at once.”

Sophia Gentle said she removes screens and does some of the trimming. When she was younger, she only removed the screens. Now that she’s older, she knows why.

“It’s very easy to cut yourself with the blade,” Sophia Gentile said. “I just try to point the blade away and not get it too close to my fingers.”

Two Scouts Screen Repair has also allowed Dante Gentile to put side some money for college and even flight school, Sara Gentle said.

“He wants to be a commercial pilot,” Sara Gentile said. “So he’s going to be paying for his own private lessons.”

Contact Two Scouts Screen Repair by calling or texting 312-730-4600.