Prime Front Street retail space continues to remain empty six months after it was vacated as the owners of the HA&E Smith?s building continue to seek a single tenant to fill the entire space.

The HA&E Smith?s building, which is held mostly by Smith?s directors and, in small part, by the Bermuda Church Society, was occupied by Trimingham Brother?s until July last year when that department store went out of business.

Trimingham?s own store as well as an adjoining one have been purchased by the Bank of Bermuda and are subject to a controversial redevelopment plan.

Stephen Kempe, a director for HA&E Smith?s, said that while his board has heard from small businesses who are interested in renting part of the space, they are waiting to find a single tenant who can fill the entire 33,133 square foot space.

?We are looking to rent it to one person and we haven?t found anybody yet,? he said.

Smith?s director Roger Davidson added that key to the problem is the space needs to be brought up to code. Smith?s is not one building but actually half a dozen buildings that have been joined together over the past years.

Breaking it up into smaller segments would come with more code requirements.

While Mr. Davidson said that they are in talks with a number of people and he is optimistic that they will find a tenant, there remain a chance that the building might be knocked down.

?If renovations were uneconomic and we could get a proposal that would suit the shareholders we would do that,? he said.