Front Street has a new storefront this week after Pulp & Circumstance opened its third location.

The gift-and-paper store moved into a space below the Pickled Onion which has been empty for over a year, bucking a trend of recent closures for Hamilton retailers.

"I decided to move really as soon as I heard of the opportunity," said the store's owner, Kristi Grayston.

"It's a great space and a great location."

The new location – the store operates two others; on Queen Street and at the airport – will feature gifts and home decor items.

The move, which Ms Grayston settled on only weeks ago, was completed over a single weekend – with the store opening on Wednesday in time for Habour Nights.

"It was a bit of a whirlwind," she said, adding that despite some initial hesitation "sometimes you have to leap and a bridge will appear".

Ms Grayston, who is also head of the retail division at the Chamber of Commerce, said with more floor-space at her disposal the store will soon introduce several new product lines. Yet she remains mindful of what has worked for the store in the past.

"We have always very close to our business plan and never strayed much from what has been successful for us."

Part of that formula has been to attract a local customer base. To help achieve that, Pulp & Circumstance has featured work from local photographers and artists such as Amanda Temple and Alexandra Mosher.

Ms Grayston said that the hardships faced by local retailers of late did nothing to discourage her from expanding the business.

"It was a bit of a catalyst for us to think, 'Well, what can we do'?"

Ms Grayston added that she hopes the retail sector will recover in the fourth quarter, by which time she plans to increase advertising and hire more full-time staff.

She knows better than most the difficulties facing retailers, but remains optimistic.

"Retail is a hard industry, it's not for the faint of heart. It's just a lot of hard work. But we do it because we love it."