Edens & Avant's Terry Brown

LAS VEGAS-Edens & Avant was one of the many developers that attended last month’s International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon show not knowing exactly what to expect. Executives at the Columbia, SC-based firm that owns about 130 centers on the East Coast, knew their appointments were booked solid but weren’t sure what kinds of moods their retailers would express given the economic downturn. Terry Brown, Edens’ chief executive officer, took some time to speak with GlobeSt.com near the end of the convention to reflect on the show and give an update on his firm’s strategy since he last spoke with us in 2005 . Though Brown still has concerns about the consumer, he said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the convention’s turnout.

GlobeSt.com: Has the downturn slowed down your business?

Brown: The economic headwinds are clearly an issue. We’ve had good levels of activity. We’ve had levels that three to five years ago you would have dreamed about having. But I think clearly we’re off from some of the froth around the activity from the last year or two, which is not really bad. The retailers here seem to be about doing deals. People have been very productive. Clearly, some of the retailers have slowed deals. The leverage has definitely shifted as it relates to the strength of the quality of the site. But it’s been a productive show.