LAS VEGAS-In this interview from the show floor of RECon 2014, Faith Hope Consolo, chair of the Douglas Elliman Retail Group, takes us on a North American tour of sorts.  City by city, she ticks off the hot and up-and-coming markets in both the US and Canada. And some of those markets just might surprise you. Of course, Consolo also gives some special consideration to her own backyard, the always-hot Manhattan scene. 

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GlobeSt.com: Faith, in an interview I just had, the executive said that while he's optimistic about retail's direction, he's not ready to dip his toe into the water yet.  What are you seeing?

Faith Hope Consolo: You have to look at history. Whenever there's a downturn, there's always some fallout. But retail always bounces back. Think of the most recent downturn. We were still able to bring some new retailers all over the United States and especially in New York, and do deals that were very favorable.

GlobeSt.com: Let's go around the country.  If you were a retailer, where would you want to be?

Consolo: Retailers today are much savvier. They're going where there's opportunity. It's no longer about demographics alone. The top markets that I am seeing—other than New York—are Miami, Chicago, Boston, and I'm going to surprise you with Seattle. Then we go up to Canada. Toronto first and then Montreal. And then we come back down, to Texas, because for some reason, Texas survives everything, storms and downturns, everything. Dallas first and then Houston.

GlobeSt.com: What are you seeing in terms of up-and-coming markets?

Consolo: Markets that are up-and-coming include Denver, Malibu, the San Fernando Valley. San Francisco is strong but it's so volatile and changes in a New York minute. You can look north of Boston and see a very strong shopping corridor. The Carolinas are hot. Atlanta is interesting. They beat their chests a lot but they really have to get their downtown together.

GlobeSt.com: So let's talk about New York.  Hot, obviously.  But what's the headline?

Consolo: We're seeing something we haven't seen in several years: menswear, all types of menswear, casual, designer, everything. And anything having to do with accessories.

GlobeSt.com: So what's the outlook?

Consolo: I wouldn't be a broker if I wasn't eternally optimistic. But you know what? We've done really well in not-so-great times.  I've been through maybe five downturns, and I know how to shift gears and follow the trends. I'm very optimistic. In good times and in bad, we put on our tap shoes and we dance as fast as we can.