Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

BUSINESS BREAK-IN

Riversong Guitars dealing with break-in attempt at Lee’s Music location

Jan 17, 2025 | 7:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops business that has dealt with nearly a dozen break-ins in recent years says it was targeted by criminals again this week. And the break-in comes as the group is preparing to drive down to California for one of the largest music trade shows in the world.

Around 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning (Jan. 16), Mike Miltimore says he was on the phone with police, reporting another break-in at Lee’s Music and Riversong Guitars along Battle Street in Kamloops. The power to the building was cut off, and doors and windows had been damaged in the break-in.

“Things like that, just trying to get in and definitely the damage, the time, and the disruption to what we’re trying to do here was greater than what they actually stole,” notes Miltimore. “And we’re still assessing what all got stolen.”

Dealing with the damage is an unwanted headache, as Riversong is preparing to head south of the border to Anaheim, California for the National Association of Music Merchants Trade Show (NAMM). And Miltimore says he and his team want to be on their ‘A game’ for this year’s appearance, with new American administration potentially bringing in 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.

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“Twenty-five per cent on everything that we build here just arbitrarily charged, to our biggest partner that we export to, the United States. They’re the biggest guitar consumer in the world, and just adding 25 per cent to our costs, yeah it’s going to damage us. It’s going to be difficult.”

However, Miltimore says Riversong does have a strong domestic customer base to rely on and its distribution deal with Peavey Electronics for other sales options beyond North America.

“We as a company, we’re looking at our home market of Canada and looking to really expand into that. We’re going to be expanding into Europe and we’re going to be expanding more into Australia,” he adds.

On the heels of the trade show, Miltimore says his team will also be busy packing up the remaining stock in the Battle Street location and moving Lee’s Music across the river into the former Findlay’s Vaccum and Sewing building at 249 Tranquille Road.