'I needed to keep the music in Amherstburg': 21-year-old musician turns into entrepreneur
Bethany D’Alimonte didn’t want the music to end.
“He was going to close up shop and I couldn't let that happen,” said the 21-year-old who was an employee of Musicland in Amherstburg.
She had also been a student at the store when she was young.
“I started playing music when I was seven right in this very building right in that back room was my first piano lesson,” she said.
The owner was planning on closing the business which has been there since 1986 but D’Alimonte wasn't about to let that happen.
“I needed to do it to keep the music in Amherstburg,” she said.
Bethany grew up around music. Her dad, at one point, was a partner of Musicland.
“Taught music here in the store. Had many students and we were playing in the band five-six nights a week,” said John D’Alimonte.
In February, Bethany, a business and marketing student at St. Clair College, made her pitch and took over the music store.
It was a full circle moment for her dad.
“It makes you feel proud. She's now got students. She's teaching. She has teachers here,” he said.
One of the teachers, Mrs. Farmer, is a lady who taught piano to Bethany when she first started.
“She's taught me all of the things I needed to know about music and applying my knowledge from school into the real business world. She’s awesome,” D’Alimonte said.
The young new boss is part of a revitalization that continues in and around Richmond Street and this business will now become a hub for music and creativity.
“Giving the community a space to learn and create is something special just because I had that when I was a kid,” she said.
Anne Creery, general manager of the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce, is hopeful the growth in the area continues.
“There's a number of other things that I'm sure will come because when you have this kind of business it tends to attract more business,” Creery said.
Also on the horizon for the district are a boutique hotel and the re-development of the old Duffy site.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.