Phones call electrician to new business venture

When Don Zittman's 30-year-old electrical contracting business continued to struggle, he knew he had to find another way to pay the bills.

Zittman watched his customer base dwindle and competitors go out of business. Then, the electrician turned his hobby of rebuilding old phones into a business plan.

Zittman started The Phone Guy, a business in which he restores vintage telephones.

"I rebuild and rewire the phones and get them to work on the modern system," Zittman said.

He added that he rewires the old phones back to their original specifications.

He has about 60 phones on display at a showroom at his home on Echo Lake near Lake Zurich. He has another 100 phones that are ready to be worked on.

"They're all one-of-a-kind," he added.

The phones include original non-stem phones, early dial phones that need ringers on the wall, scissor phones, replications made in the 1970s and others. Most of the phones Zittman restores were built between 1890 and 1940.

"There is interest in these phones. It's a niche market," said the 54-year-old entrepreneur. The antique refurbished phones range in price from $100 to $900.

Zittman began working on phones at a young age. He recalls his telephone work earned him first-place honors in the eighth-grade science fair.

"I replicated Bell's first telephone and got it to work," Zittman said.

He continued to tinker with telephones over the years while running Bethor Electric, a company he started in Chicago. Zittman grew the business over the years and hired five employees. He handled a great deal of commercial work.

About a year ago, though, the electrical business started slowing down.

"I thought it would be an economic blip - not a catastrophe," he said.

The electrical work came to a halt as companies he served went out of business. The residential work also slowed as homeowners stopped building additions.

"It has been rough. I'm just trying to get this phone thing going," he said.

Zittman blames the problems on the housing market.

"Since then, we've seen the bottom out of construction," he said.

It's not easy getting a specialized business, or any business, off the ground in this economy, Zittman acknowledges. He doesn't have the cash to advertise. In an effort to gain customers and get the word out, Zittman's fiancee holds garage sales near his workshop, sparking interest in his telephones.

For more information, call (847) 438-0099.

Kim Mikus covers small business and retail. She welcomes comments at kmikus@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4567.