Swan opens Intermezzo cafe and store on Court Street
From working in a reinsurance company to running a gas station Bermudian entrepreneur George Swan doesn’t shy away from making bold news.Intermezzo Cafe & Convenience, which opened on Tuesday, is his latest retail venture.The sleek and modern cafe, deli and grocery store is located in Veritas Place on Court Street.Mr Swan is hoping to attract morning and lunch crowds from the new police and court building across the street, as well as the Government administration offices, HSBC bank, law firms and other companies in the vicinity.“There are three fairly large office buildings nearby providing good foot traffic,” he said, “so I thought it would be a good opportunity to open in this space. We hopefully will eventually stay open until midnight.”Mr Swan already owns Belvin’s grocery stores as well as Intermezzo Wines & Spirits at Middle Road and Verdmont Roads; he no longer is involved in the gas station. He used to own a bath and body store and purse shop in town, but has closed both. Before he made the move to becoming a small business owner, Mr Swan worked for Aon in the brokerage department.He said Intermezzo Wines is doing as well as can be expected in this economy, and he has increased sales at his chain of convenience stores.The spacious interior of Intermezzo Cafe & Convenience was overseen by By Design Ltd of Bermuda and GTI Designs of New York.Mr Swan said the cafe and store will be open from 6am to 9pm, and eventually even later at night. Currently it has a staff of five as well as security personnel.Deli items including sandwiches and salads will be prepared on site and other hot and cold dishes will be supplied by Food 4 Thought Caterers. Coffee, tea and other drinks are available as well.The grocery section offers milk and eggs, ice cream, snacks, drinks, and other convenience items.