Owens: The rents have adjusted from the highs of 2005 and 2006, so we went from that period where the rents weren't matching what the market demand was. The landlord had to readjust expectations, and that has happened. Now they are filling valuable space that retailers aren't able to fill these days. The non-traditional uses drive traffic that needs to be driven these days and fill space that needs to be filled.

GlobeSt.com: The grocery sector seems volatile. How do you see that shaping up in the year to come?

Owens: It's certainly a transitional period here for our market. We've got new players, such as Mariano's, which is spurring the only new development. Walmart is coming in with its Express format in urban spaces. On the other side of that, we have the traditional market leaders here like Jewel and Dominicks, so the traditional grocers are being replaced by new owners. We're seeing a lot of strength from local independents here that are backfilling some of those grocery spaces, and it will ease the hit that landlords are feeling filling older spaces. There will still be empty-box grocers that are going to be filled with non-traditional uses or split up. There is only so much room for so many grocers.

GlobeSt.com: Are there any tenants out there making headway that you are excited about?

Owens: There just aren't any major rollouts that are going on, and that is sort of symbolic of the market. Existing players are taking advantage of market conditions that are there positions in the market. On the restaurant side, we're doing work with Freshi, which is an exciting new restaurant concept that has developed over the last couple of years. Peet's Coffee has announced the rebranding of a lot of its Caribou locations, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. And everybody's excited to see Starbucks in action again.

GlobeSt.com: What are your expectations for RECon? What do you think the mood and attendance will be like?

Owens: The mood in general is similar to consumer confidence. Everyone wants it to be better, but nobody is really sure if it is yet. Brokers, as a whole, are optimistic people, so I anticipate hearing optimism out of the show, but it's a guarded optimism. That will continue until we see new concepts or roll outs that really drive our business.