In chilling economic times when many retailers are bracing themselves for a lean Christmas sales season, one Dockyard-based shop is beating the odds and expanding its premises and its offerings.

Grand Bazaar is moving to new location after four years in the Clocktower Mall. It's not leaving the mall, however, just moving down the hall to a new space three times the size.

Known to its repeat customers more colloquially as "the Turkish store", Grand Bazaar is owned and run by husband and wife team Teresa and Bulent Ganal. The store has built up a popular following over its relatively short lifespan, growing consistently year on year, Mrs. Ganal said. Its new premises offer almost 800 square feet of space as opposed to the 250 sq ft of its former home.

Mrs. Ganal said the shop will finally be able to display some of its beautiful, handmade Turkish carpets — which previously had to be shown on an appointment basis from storage. Grand Bazaar offers far more than just carpets, however, including fabrics, blankets, cushion covers, shawls, silver jewellery, hanging lanterns and a variety of home accents. "No other store on the Island is selling what we're selling and locals really love it," she said.

In fact, Mrs. Ganal — a former advertising representative at Trimingham's — was partially inspired to start the store by her own search for cushion covers to decorate her house. "I could not find cushion covers anywhere," she said.

Mrs. Ganal is Bermudian and met her Turkish husband here on the Island, while he was working at Coral Beach. The couple married in 2003. It only took one of the new bride's first trips to Turkey to further inspire the shop.

Now the couple travel to Turkey every winter on buying trips and keep adding more and more items to Grand Bazaar's inventory. "We keep growing and we're really excited," Mrs. Ganal said. "And we've only scratched the surface of what Turkey has to offer."

Grand Bazaar is a labour of love with the Ganals working the store with the help of only one part-time employee, seven days a week, all year long. "Dockyard only closes two days a year," Mrs. Ganal proudly pointed out. When the Ganals are on a buying trip, their part time staff member steps up to fill in along with members of Mrs. Ganal's family.

When first deciding on a location for the store, she admits she was hesitant about the West End and her friends and family thought the couple downright crazy to make a go of it in Dockyard.

"With any new business, there is risk involved," said Mrs. Ganal. "But what we've found is if you give people a reason to come to Dockyard, they'll come every week. Sunday is one of our busiest days here during the winter and people keep coming back."

The go-the-distance-for-customers attitude at Grand Bazaar is part of the draw. If someone can't make it to Dockyard, one of the Ganals will meet them in town with merchandise. Can't find the exact colour of fabric you want? The couple will seek it out in Turkey and special order it for you. Inspired by an item you saw on a trip? The Ganals will help you find what you are looking for.

Mrs. Ganal said continuing to thrive through the economic downturn depends on such flexibility as well as sensible pricing. The store began offering tourist items to boost business. "You have to if you're in Dockyard," Mrs. Ganal said.

And they reduced their margins to earn more returns on sales as American tourists visiting the Island this summer were already feeling the pinch which Bermuda residents are only starting to experience. "We'll do the same for locals," she said. "We're not so upscale that we can't work with our price points."

They draw their loyal customers largely by word of mouth by offering products which can't be found elsewhere on the Island. "There is no vanilla in here," said Mrs. Ganal. "It's colour, colour, colour."