NEW YORK CITY-If the goal of the retail session at the Academy for Continuing Education session Thursday was to stump the presenter, the score would be: crowd-zero; speaker Faith Hope Consolo-too knowledgeable to beat.

Attendees peppered the so-called “Queen of Retail,” chairman of Douglas Elliman's retail group, with questions about various portions of the city, even drilling down to particular blocks, in terms of what retailers—or types of retailers—either are set to fill vacant store fronts or are likely to come to a neighborhood soon.

Following are some of the secrets and tips Consolo divulged to the room full of brokers who paid rapt attention to the talk.

 “Retail rents are at an all time high; they're off the charts now,” she said. “Prices are as high as $2,800 in the 60s on Madison Ave.

“The neighborhoods are looking better: upper Third avenue, the Upper West Side-like Columbus Ave. and upper Broadway—are getting more fashionable,” she continued. “The West Side is looking good.”

On 86^th and Broadway, Lole—a new to the US, Lululemon-like company from Canada—is a group that'll come, or Anthropologie…something like a T.J. Maxx. Also, you're going to see Intimacy,” a lingerie retailer with products that range from low to high-end, according to Consolo, “all over the city.” Meanwhile, TopShop—a discount women's wear retailer—“is in negotiation for a Fifth avenue location in the 50s.”

She spoke of Brooklyn's renaissance, noting that the borough has had “more new restaurants and openings in the last three years than Manhattan has had in the last five years.” However, some other outter boroughs are ready to emerge as the new hot spots. “In Queens, Jackson Heights, Sunnyside, Astoria and other areas all are changing. The borough is really poised [for a shift], as long as rents don't get pushed too high.”

Staten Island may be heading for its moment too. “The department store at the upcoming Staten Island mall,” called the Empire Outlets, “will be a Nordstrom or a Saks Fifth Avenue,” Consolo predicted.

In Manhattan, Harlem—where she's marketing a massive portfolio of 150 storess—is set to shine. “Getting a Whole Foods there is a game changer. We're going to make Harlem more chic than Downtown Brooklyn!” she declared. The Lower East Side “is going to see more menswear shops, with contenders that include the upscale and edgy John Varvatos, as well as purveyors from Australia and other foreign countries. Soho is too expensive and the Meatpacking District is getting that way,” so retail is moving to the LES, she said. “We just need to keep the rents from going through the roof.”

When asked if the Flatiron building would be converted into a hotel, she cagily said, “that's what they say,” while of Carnegie Hill, she said the area “has arrived. It's not just families, it's wealthy professionals.”

Finally, attendees asked how she advises retailers on what streets, areas and even boroughs that they should be in. “It's not just neighborhoods,” she said, “it's the demographics and what their budget is.” She also told the story of a retailer client who didn't seem to be listening to Consolo and her team until the customer's lead salesperson chose the same location for a new store that the brokers suggested early on in the relationship.

“Sometimes, you have to lose before you win,” she conceded. “You can't make all of the deals.”