Creating a network of support

Duluthian broker aspires to put the “real” back into realty

By Abigail Blonigen

Whatdo taxidermy, special effects makeup, Bengal cats, deep sea diving, historical costuming and real estate have in common? Nothing really, except that they are all passions of Amy Spampinato, a real estate broker for RemaxProdigy.

Spampinato moved to Duluth about 20 years ago from Eveleth to attend college. Spending some time at both the College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota Duluth, Spampinato earned degrees in both international law and anthropology, though she also studied photography, French and Italian.

The choice to study Italian was not arbitrary, as Spampinato’s family are first-generation Italian immigrants who moved to Chicago and then to the Iron Range during World War II. The natural entrepreneur got her start early, working for her dad's taxidermy studio and the family restaurant, which served Chicago style pizza.

Trying to earn her way through college, Spampinato took her family’s entrepreneurial and artistic spirit and started a few of her own small businesses, including special effects makeup and historical costuming. Though she originally had her heart set on international law, Spampinato fell in love with Duluth and began to explore options that could keep her on the shore of Lake Superior.

She soon discovered she had a knack for both sales

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