The Bermudian - Spring 2016

Nautical history, classic design and a new Bermudian clothing label perfectly blend together in Crown & Anchor’s flag- ship store in the Royal Naval Dockyard. Owned by Laura nd William Pitt and renovated by David Benevides at Benevides and Associates, the 1,900-square-foot retail store officially opened in September 2015 after a mere five months’ renovation.

“We had been working on the concept of Crown & Anchor, a classic
Bermudian clothing label, for some time, and knew that the flagship
store needed to encompass the brand’s reflection of Bermuda’s unique
nautical history and British ties,” said Laura Pitt. “With this focus it was
apparent that the Royal Naval Dockyard would be the most obvious
locale.”
Originally a sea captain’s residence, the building had been shuttered
for several years without use, and the interior was terribly dilapidated;
it was less than ideal, to say the least, for a retail store. “The space had
been uninhabited for a considerable period of time, and was in such
a state of disrepair that it was apparent that we would have to strip it
down to the bare bones,” she continued. “The building had originally
been a sea captain’s residence so was divided into small rooms with a
central staircase just within the front door. It was totally unusable for
retail.”