Do small signs of decay on Front Street signify a larger problem?

The sight of flaking, discoloured, once brightly polished brass gives off an air of decay. And Front Street, Bermuda’s showcase street, is really not the place to obviously display signs of decay and downturn.

Monument

Starting at the City of Hamilton’s eastern boundary, an observer strolling west past Sir John’s skyscraper, along the sidewalk, will see many little things that all add up.

Cross King Street and stroll by the British-American building, now a big blue monument to a big failed business. Amble past the adjacent office block, past the furniture and picture shops and Supermart, and come to “Bootsies”. Rather, where “Bootsies” used to be until Bootsie decided to close it down, leaving a beginning-to-deteriorate door.

On to Rosa’s Cantina and the usually active Docksiders. Then the ice cream parlour with its green chairs and sometimes complement of ice cream eaters, then the relatively empty shopfront of the cycle rental place, and ending with the always shut cedar door of the old Fire Station that now houses Supreme Court number three.

The Beach

Cross Court Street, stroll past the expanse of the flower bordered Cabinet Office grounds with its distant cedar door, always closed but not always locked; cross Parliament Street and hit what’s usually called “the Beach”. Always active there.  Doors always open and welcoming. Pass a series of T-shirt and jewellery places and come to a closed door, papered over on the inside, and covering an empty shop space.

Move on a bit, past the door to Café Cairo which is immediately followed by burgundy coloured hoardings hiding works that seem to be taking longer than the pyramids.

Stroll on past Chancery Lane and Port-o-Call’s glassed-off outside dining area, past jewellery and souvenir and craft and sculpture and bike and gaming and shoe shops until you stroll past the bank’s ATMs and see two unpolished grab rails.

Once past Burnaby Street, all the way to Heyl’s Corner, all the shopfronts and doors are in good shape, wide open, and seem to be inviting business. Despite their fierce visages, even the two lions holding their ground outside Crisson’s seem more friendly and welcoming than fierce man-eaters.

Prime retail space?

From Heyl’s Corner to Par-la-Ville road and on to Bermudiana Road, the only doors that cause pause are the main doors to the lower floor of Osborne House — the building right across from the Ferry Terminal. What’s going on behind those doors? I thought that was supposed to be prime retail space. At Bermudiana Road, we reach the Boutique CC and the western boundary of the City of Hamilton.

On a stroll through the city, unpolished grab rails and flaky paint strike jarring and dissonant notes.  Does it mean business owners no longer care about appearances? If so, what else are flaking doors telling us?

A wee can of Brasso and some elbow grease, a new door, a fresh lick of paint — all of these things can create a more cheerful image and put a different perspective on what might be going on behind closed doors.

Front Street is our primary showcase to the world. We should look after it.