Kismet has a large part to do with Desmond Fountain's success. Not only is kismet the name of his boat, but Mr. Fountain says the Turkish word meaning destiny or fate has helped him overcome adversity and succeed in Bermuda's struggling retail sector.

The latest coup for Mr. Fountain is the expansion of his Front Street gallery in Hamilton's Emporium building where he has taken over the old Wine Rack space. "Bermuda's motto, Quo Fata Ferunt, where destiny leads us, could be the motto for this gallery," said Mr. Fountain. He said when his old gallery at the Fairmont Southampton Princess was closed suddenly in 2000, he was forced to find somewhere for his bronze statues.

However, as an example of his kismet, Mr. Fountain said the only space available on the Island at the time was in the Emporium building on Front Street. The same building where Gina - one of his bronze statues - sits in the lobby.

The move was a beneficial one for Mr. Fountain, however, as interest in the store blossomed and sales increased dramatically.

More kismet came into play when he heard that the Wine Rack - the store just in front of his gallery with windows on Front Street - was closing this month.

"Expansion was essential as there wasn't room to put all of the sculptures," said Mr. Fountain.

He said the gallery was now much more visible and accessible to locals and visitors now as people generally did not travel to the Southampton Princess and added: "I think that with this move to Hamilton, in particular Front Street, we are getting a lot of compliments from the general public about sculpture in general that wasn't readily accessible to them before."

As far as the retail sector is concerned, Mr. Fountain said: "I don't think it has been particularly easy for anybody and we are determined not to compromise standards to the lowest denominator. If we are able to maintain standards, and I hope that people will look for tasteful alternatives, that will mean there is always something for the discerning visitor, shopper or resident to find without being confined to cliched merchandise. I think this is a great problem that Bermuda faces with the changing face of tourism."

Mr. Fountain added: "In my experience, if you keep on lowering (standards) to meet turnover or sale targets which is what makes every business viable, eventually you will end up phasing out of the very market that was the reason for you being there in the first place."

How is Mr. Fountain coping? He explained: "Check the moorings and ride the storm."

Although the gallery will show work by other local artists, Mr. Fountain said he was keen to work in harmony with other galleries and augment what already exists. Other art includes the work of local artists Sharon Wilson, Tracy William, Lisa Rego, Dan Dempster, Helen Daniel, Otto Trott, Bruce Stewart, Proctor Martin, Will Colieson, David Hill and Graeme Foster.