Front Street has long been the hub of activity in the heart of Hamilton's shopping centre. But one of Bermuda's best known and loved streets has fallen on hard times recently. Alex Wright takes a look at what is happening today among traders and behind the shop fronts.

Something is clearly missing from Front Street. Gone is the hustle and bustle of crowds fighting their way through the street to get to the shops and the long line of tourists queueing up for a ride on the horse and carriage.

Instead up have gone the unsightly boarding on vacant lots and the closing sale signs in many windows to replace what was once a bustling and booming centre of trade in Hamilton.

"Future, what future?", said one trader when asked about what the future holds for Front Street, summing up the mood of many who work in Bermuda's main shopping destination.

It is a sign of the times that a number of businesses have upped sticks and relocated or closed down altogether, with the Vera P Card shop moving to St. George's after 60 years in Front Street, due mainly to a big hike in rent in April, and Davidson's of Bermuda's Front Street branch is having a clearance sale — management would not confirm whether the shop was set to close.

And many of the shops that have been vacated still remain empty, while parts of the street resemble a large construction site, as the few tourists who make the trip to Front Street have to dodge their way along sidewalks and under tunnels.

Ronnie Maughan, who is the director of operations at the Tess Group, which runs the English Sports Shop, said his business and many other retailers were suffering this year, largely down to the absence of cruise ships docking in Hamilton after it was axed from the schedule and thus potential customers spending their money in the shops.

He said of the 1,500 to 3,000 passengers on board who now disembark in Dockyard and St. George's, only several hundred are in Front Street at any point in time, having a knock-on effect, not only on shops, but other enterprises such as taxis which pick up business there.

Only yesterday afternoon, Mr. Maughan noticed a ferry from Dockyard arrive in Hamilton with just 12 to 15 people from the cruise ship getting off, as many opted to stay on board and take advantage of the ship's facilities rather than frequent the shops in Front Street. Or, if they did come to into the city, they spent little time there and promptly returned, added Mr. Maughan.

"I don't know what is going on," said a perplexed Mr. Maughan. "And we are hearing the hue and cry from all of our colleagues in retail."

Another factor which has not helped Front Street's cause is the general image of Hamilton, with towering cranes, bulldozers and piles of rubble in the street giving the impression of a city in transition, a far cry from the smart harbour-front in its heyday, the blame for which Mr. Maughan lays squarely at the feet of the Corporation of Hamilton.

"The fact is the town is dirty and the Corporation of Hamilton has frankly been asleep at the wheel — I just think they are doing a deplorable job of keeping the city clean," he said.

At the other end of town, fellow shopkeeper, Carole Holding, who doubles as the chairman and chief executive officer of Carole Holding Ltd., a gift shop, has also been on the receiving end from a downturn in trade as a result of the cruise ships no longer docking in Hamilton.

But she was more upset that nobody had bothered to consult or even acknowledge the traders in Front Street and what they had to say about changing the cruise ship schedule.

"Nobody asked about the shopping pattern on the customers — how it used to be and how it is now," Ms Holding said. "Several passengers voiced their dismay and said, 'We don't like Dockyard and we won't come back to Bermuda because we like the shops and nightlife in Hamilton and we can go to the beaches and to do sightseeing during the day'.

"I also find it hard to believe that they axed the Hamilton cruise ships prior to the new terminal being ready (in Dockyard) for a second mega ship. I understand if they wish to proceed with the Hamilton waterfront that it is necessary not to have ships parking in Front Street which might disrupt progress."

Ms Holding, who has been in business on the Island for the past 40 years, has seen her number of staff be cut from five down to two and has even had to turn away summer students looking for work because there is none available.

"It is a gloomy picture — really nobody has considered the shops and what they bring to Bermuda and how the tourists think of the Island and what memories they take away from the place," she added. "It is really affecting the whole community — people are looking for work and we don't have any to give them."

Further down the street, at Crisson, the mood is a little bit more upbeat, with vice-president and general manager Susan Millar saying that trade was still good, despite the effect of the cruise ships being taken off the 2008 schedule.

With the Majesty and Norwegian Crown both disembarking in Hamilton two days a week each, that meant passengers were alighting in Front Street four days out of seven and therefore there was more chance they would part with some of their hard-earned cash there, according to Ms Millar.

"That has impacted our business in a negative manner," she said. "But we have strong brands and lines, which ensure good pricing for our customers."

One thing she has observed in particular was the drop-off in customer footfall in Front Street, as witnessed from both of the jewellery's shops at 55 and 71 Front Street.

"There is less traffic on the street," said Ms Millar. "Before you would have to fight your way down Front Street, but now we don't have that flow of people that we used to.

"I think the customers are upset because they wonder what is happening with Front Street and that the construction sites there are a nuisance to walk around, stepping over gang planks and going through tunnels and the like."

The future does not look too bright for Front Street, but a few more tourists and newly opened shops could soon change all that to lift the doom and gloom.