A museum dedicated to country star Shania Twain in her hometown is to close after suffering a drop in visitor numbers.

The Shania Twain Centre was opened in the singer’s native Timmins, Canada in 2001 and the singer made sure the museum was well stocked with memorabilia and important artefacts from her music career.

However, the publicly-funded attraction, which cost an estimated $4 million in taxpayers’ money, has struggled to turn a profit and the city’s mayor has now confirmed the building and its grounds will be closed and sold off to bosses of a local mining company, who own a nearby pit.

Mayor Tom Laughren insists the city council’s decision was not “easy”, but was made “for all the right reasons”.

The deal has been in the works for some time, and Twain reportedly removed most of her memorabilia from the building last summer and installed it in Las Vegas, where she is currently enjoying a residency at the Caesar’s Palace resort.

However, city councillor Pat Bamford insists locals remain proud of their most famous former resident: “We’re not severing our relationship with Shania Twain. We’re very proud of her.”

The sale is expected to be finalized by the end of the month. (LR/WNWC/ZN)