All it took was one phone call to breathe new life into the Heritage House Galleries which owner Jay Bluck was seriously contemplating closing.

Formerly located at the western end of Hamilton and on a busy path trod by locals and visitors alike, when the building was demolished to make way for a new one, Mr. Bluck moved Heritage House to new premises below ground level on Church Street.

The mystery of what lay at the bottom of the steep stairs, and the thought of descending them, seemed to be a deterrent, and business was not exactly booming.

It was a far cry from the former Front Street site, where R. Danjou Anderson had once happily worked, first as a trainee framer and then rising to become director of Heritage Galleries. He and Mr. Bluck had enjoyed a good business relationship, but when the decision was made to demolish the old building and Mr. Bluck was unable to find alternative space at the time, Mr. Anderson had to move on.

Like Mr. Bluck, he is a friendly, outgoing Bermudian who not only enjoys interacting with the public but loves fine art and antiques, neither of which his next employer, Cellular One, stocked.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bluck eventually found a new space on Church Street, formerly occupied by Timeless Antiques, and Heritage House Galleries was back in business, albeit below ground level. From time to time Mr. Bluck was able to hold art exhibitions in the space used by the Knick Knack for sales. Each time, he spruced up the venue for the shows, and then it was back to the lower level and sluggish sales. Should he or shouldn't he close? Mr. Bluck asked himself.

One day, just as he was leaning towards closing, Mr. Anderson returned a call from his former employer to discuss a separate issue.

"Then all of a sudden I said, `How are things going in the art world?' Mr. Anderson recalls.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Mr. Bluck responded. "I'm thinking I am going to close."

"I said, `Hold on' and he literally offered me a partnership," Mr. Anderson says. "It took me a couple of days to recover from that because I have always wanted to have my own fine art gallery. Cellular One was a brilliant company to work for, but when you sell a painting no-one brings it back and says it doesn't work. It's not the same when you sell a cellphone."

Preliminary discussions on a partnership led to Mr. Bluck successfully negotiating a lease for a permanent street level gallery at the former Knick Knack sale site, and successive discussions brought the business relationship between the partners to a positive conclusion.

Today, the two men are clearly delighted to be carrying on a business they both love, and early indications are that the venture will be a success. They are also excited about their future plans, which include linking the downstairs and street level locations of the renamed New Heritage Galleries via one internal, spiral staircase. With an elevator being installed for the entire building, access by the physically challenged to the lower level will also be possible.

"There is still lots to do before we are happy," Mr. Bluck says. "What with having daylight and a street level location, it will be a wonderful space with which we intend to do a great deal in the next six to eight months."

Thanks to a talented interior designer who lent a hand, the ambience of the street level gallery is already aesthetically pleasing. The walls are a soft bluish-grey, and the paintwork, including the unique wooden front door, is sparkling white. Wall to wall grey carpeting will soon replace the mottled blue, on top of which are displayed a selection of colourful Persian rugs. Bermuda paintings by such artists as Reynolds Beal, Frank Carson, Jessie T. Ames, Clark Vorhees and Henry Rice; antique maps and hand-coloured Bermuda prints, including two Hallewell's; and old Bermuda photographs taken from an album created in 1890 are some of the items adorning the walls, while to-die-for mainly Bermuda-made antiques, including chests, chests of drawers, dining tables and chairs, and occasional pieces hand crafted in mahogany and Bermuda cedar, are tastefully arranged around the room.

Selected furniture and other items are sold on consignment. All of the present display is in excellent condition and the furniture has a glossy patina which only decades of careful polishing can bring. Mr. Bluck is particularly pleased to be able to offer a pair of mahogany chests of drawers made by well-known cabinet maker Henry Smith of Paget circa 1820, a cedar blanket chest made by James Horton of Somerset, and a gateleg table whose base is circa 1680.

On a smaller scale, miniature musical instruments by Michael Hooper, as well as antique tea caddies and boxes, wine decanters and plates, also catch the eye.

The gallery's optional lighting systems allow for changes of ambience as the occasion requires.

As any proprietor knows, a street level location is like a flycatcher - it tempts people inside, and that has certainly been the case with The New Heritage Galleries. Everyone from bus drivers dropping in from the nearby terminal to visitors, artists and youngsters have all been drawn to explore the new gallery. Whether they are browsers or, hopefully, purchasers, everyone gets the same warm welcome.

"I have discovered that people like to come into art stores and browse. Everything hung on the walls also has an explanation describing exactly what it is, where it came from, and what age it is, so basically everything you see becomes part of your memory bank," Mr. Anderson says.

Regular rotating exhibitions of art and furniture are planned, with openings timed to coincide with others in the area so that viewers can circulate easily between them all.

At present the downstairs space at the New Heritage Galleries is devoted to the revived custom framing service, as well as prints and other items, but Mr. Anderson would also like to see the space used to fulfill another long-held dream: that of combining fine art with performing arts, such as poetry evenings.

"We are in a very artistic location, right across from City Hall, and I think this (area) may become an artistic hub," Mr. Anderson says.