According to economist Ted C. Jones, US retail sales and the demand for goods resulted in the freight rates for 20 foot containers from Shanghai to the US to increase approximately 125% in the past 12 months. Another economist, Elliott Eisenberg PhD, also states that retail sales are terrific and that though we are buying […]

Quick Disclaimer:  I rarely eat doughnuts and when I do, it is usually only a jelly doughnut.  A long time ago, a very non-nutritious friend of mine told me that the jelly doughnut was the most perfectly balanced food because it contained all of the 5 basic food groups.  When I asked her how she […]

Renovation is nothing new to investors who look for value-add properties. Sometimes a fresh coat of paint, new fixtures, or an exterior update are all that is needed for a new owner to be able to boost rents. I have read several articles lately about re-purposing buildings, and there is a great example of one […]

  Make it easy for consumers to find what they are looking for. In a recent blog Is Veganism Going Mainstream, I discussed how Marshalls was making it easier for vegan shoppers to identify purses that coincide with the shopper’s values.  In addition to Marshalls highlighting vegan purses, Whole Foods also makes it easy for […]

  In a recent post about restaurants driving retail traffic, I listed restaurants that have been added to malls and downtowns.  Today’s blog is about one of my favorite local South Miami restaurants, Whisk Gourmet Food + Catering.  A recent blog in OpenTable,  Millennial Dining: How the Share Generation Is Shaping the Restaurant Experience, discusses several […]

  Food has always been important in retail centers; all you need to do is check out the food court at any major mall to see how much space is devoted to food.  Increasingly, more formal sit-down restaurants are what is needed to drive traffic to malls, strip centers, or downtowns.  Dadeland Mall added many dining […]

  A couple of days ago a wrote about what South Florida will look like in 2070 if we continue developing the way we are.  The state of Florida is growing by 1,000 people per day, making traffic unbearable and threatening our quality of life.  Luckily, there are many projects going on in South Florida […]

As a huge fan of Pubbelly and Barceloneta in South Beach, I am thrilled that Barceloneta is coming to South Miami.  For those of you who have never been to the South Beach location, you are in for a treat.  Barceloneta is a hip, happening, low key tapas bar with great food and an even […]

A green corridor comprised of Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Coral Gables, Miami and Miami Shores has been formed to assist in financing energy related improvements to property.  Formaly named The Property Assessed Clean Energy District (PACE), this new corridor will enable businesses and residents to finance energy related improvements to their properties […]

Yesterday I attended a Tier 1 workshop put on by MDX to explain the US 1 express lane project development and environment study.  Considering how large this proposed project is and how many residents and businesses it will have an effect on if it goes through, there were not a lot of people in attendance. […]