It has been a lively three days in Las Vegas for the record 40,000 that the International Council of Shopping Centers say are in attendance. The staff of Retail Traffic has been wandering the exhibit halls and listening in on the conference program for interesting tidbits. Here’s some of what we learned.
Probably the most unusual development team we ran into was the Fain brothers. These fellas wear two hats; one is a cowboy hat.
Ron and Brad, cattle ranchers turned developers, moseyed around the show floor looking for discount big-box retailers for a power center they are planning on a portion of their 130-year-old family ranch in Prescott Valley Ariz.
Their company, the Fain Signature Group, already is constructing an entertainment center that will include at least six restaurants. A Chili’s just broke ground.
Cowboys for five generations, the Fains started ranching in the then remote area in 1874. Now, the suburbs are encroaching and they think the demographics are right for a center. But make no mistake. They have no plans to get out of the cattle business. Ron, who manages the ranch, says they still run 600 head of cattle…