Tone Music in downtown Albert Lea will close its doors for good the first week of April, store manager Merle Krause announced Thursday.

“I have been expecting this for a while now with the economy, Internet, loss of the daily high school traffic and Farmstead,” Krause said. “The owner cut our hours to one employee on staff at any one time about five years ago, so I cut my hours to a very limited part-time basis in order for my son (Brandon) to continue working full tme and for me to pursue my other business ventures.”

Tone Music has been operating in downtown Albert Lea for 12 years, when owner Gerald Besser purchased Kopet Music, a store that had served the community for more than 20 years. Besser also owns Tone Music in Owatonna, which he plans to keep open, Krause said.

“Unfortunately, I did not have much input or control with business decisions for our local music store,” Krause said.

Krause said for as long as he can remember, there has been a local music store in Albert Lea. “I remember hanging out at the local music store as a kid and always dreaming of that cool drum set in the window,” he added.

He said he doesn’t plan to let the town be without a music store for long, however.

“Brandon and I are planning to open our own music store in the very near future,” he said. “We plan on expanding our lessons, doing repairs and more Internet sales and provide a broader selection of products and services. We will now have the freedom to pick the products we feel are suited for our clients. We want to continue what we started and what we love.”

Krause said he feels a music store will complement his other ventures. This includes Legacy Studios, a recording facility and sound company, and the Lighthouse Event Center, which offers concerts and theater performances for the community and which can be rented out for special occasions.

“We hope that the community will support our new business efforts and realize the happiness and quality of life that music and the arts can bring to young and old alike,” Krause said. “We want to focus especially on our youth because they are our future.”

He said he and Brandon would like to thank everyone in the community for their support and understanding for what they tried to do for local musicians over the last 12 years.

“Coming back to my hometown and helping my friends and my friends’ kids has been a great experience,” Krause said. “We have met a lot of great people and made a lot of friends and hopefully made differences in peoples’ lives. There is nothing more rewarding than that.”

Krause said anyone with consignment items at the store should make arrangements to pick them up no later than March 29.