Retail Specialists, LLC

06/19/2026

Exciting progress continues at The Shoppes at District 31 as the first tenants begin opening their doors in Alabaster. First Watch is now open, with Nothing Bundt Cakes and Chipotle Mexican Grill preparing to follow, joining a curated mix of national retailers and restaurants including CAVA, Panera Bread, Hollywood Feed, and more.

Read the full story here: https://hubs.li/Q04m0dkh0

06/16/2026

Our team enjoyed attending the Interface Alabama Retail Conference last Thursday at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

It was great joining retail real estate professionals from across Alabama to discuss the trends shaping retail investment, development, leasing, and redevelopment throughout the state.

A special shoutout to Elliott Cook for doing an outstanding job moderating and helping facilitate engaging discussions throughout the event.

Thank you to France Media Inc., Southeast Real Estate Business and the Interface Conference Group for bringing together such a strong group of retail real estate professionals.

06/04/2026

Exciting to see the progress being made at The Shoppes at District 31!

Shoutout to Beau Young, our Executive Vice President, on his work leasing this project. Check out the article below for the latest updates on this growing Alabaster development.

🛍️ ALABASTER RETAIL UPDATE: Signs have gone up for the first tenants at Shoppes at District 31.

05/22/2026

Relationships move retail forward. ICSC Las Vegas gave our team the chance to deepen the connections that help communities grow.

Over the course of the event, the Retail Strategies team met with leaders across the commercial real estate industry, including:

• Communities working to tell a stronger market story
• Retailers evaluating where to grow next
• Developers looking for the right opportunities
• Brokers helping move deals from conversation to reality

These moments matter because retail recruitment does not happen in a single meeting.

It happens through consistent follow-up, trusted relationships, strong market data, and a clear understanding of what each community can offer.

Thank you to every community partner, retailer, developer, broker, and industry friend who made time to connect with us in Las Vegas.

We are leaving ICSC energized and ready to keep advancing opportunities for the communities we serve.

05/19/2026

We’re having a great start to ICSC Las Vegas! The morning has already been filled with productive meetings, new connections, and great conversations with industry partners.

If you’re at the conference this week, come visit us at Booth 1038 in the Lower South Hall — we’d love to see you and connect while we’re here!

05/12/2026

Looking forward to heading back to ICSC Las Vegas next week!

We’re excited to reconnect with industry partners, build new relationships, and have meaningful conversations shaping the future of retail and commercial real estate.

If you’re attending, stop by Booth 1038 in the Lower South Hall — we’d love to connect!

05/08/2026

Big news for the Birmingham metro ☕👏

The first Dutch Bros location in the area is officially open! Shout out to Joe Strauss, CCIM and David Plummer from our team for representing Dutch Bros in the deal and help identify and secure the site that made this project possible.

We’re excited to see another growing brand expand into Alabama and appreciate everyone who helped bring this project to the finish line. Looking forward to what’s ahead for Dutch Bros in the market!

🎊☕️ DUTCH BROS IS HERE: Attention Birmingham coffee lovers! Dutch Bros Coffee officially opened its first Birmingham-metro location in Alabaster on Fri. May 1. Deets below ⬇️

About Dutch Bros Coffee:
⭐️ Nationally popular coffee chain with a cult-like following
☕️ Known for friendly, high-energy service
🌎 Started in 1992 + now has 1K+ locations across the U.S.

Dutch Bros Coffee Alabaster will serve:
☕️ Cold brews, lattes + Americanos
🍫 Dutch faves like the Caramelizer + Cocomo
💪 Protein Coffee + Rebel Energy Drinks
🧋 Shakes, smoothies, teas + seasonal drinks

🤩 Fun fact: This is the 8th location in AL + the very first in the Birmingham metro area.

You can find the Alabaster location near Baptist Health Shelby Hospital, Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, Jimmy John's + Arby's
📍544 1st St N, Alabaster, AL 35007

📲 Click the link for more information:
https://bhamnow.com/2026/05/07/dutch-bros-opens-first-coffee-joint-in-birmingham-metro-area/

👀 Planning your first visit? Tell us your go-to coffee order below 👇☕️

TD

04/30/2026

If you’re in retail real estate and not following Bill Read’s Friday quizzes… you’re missing out.

Great feature by CoStar on Bill’s “not-so-trivial” pursuit
—a creative way he’s educating and engaging the industry one quiz at a time.

Proud to have him on our team and even prouder to see his passion for retail getting the spotlight it deserves.

Leasing veteran looks to challenge, educate with his weekly tests

04/30/2026

Exciting news for Chelsea!

The Shoppes at Chelsea just hit a major milestone, with over 20 acres sold in a multimillion-dollar deal to make way for a new Target. Momentum continues to build along the rapidly growing U.S. 280 corridor—another strong sign of confidence in the market.

Proud to share that David Plummer with Retail Specialists represented Target in this deal, helping bring one of the country’s leading retailers to Chelsea.

Excited to watch this one come to life and see the impact it’ll have on the community.

https://www.retailspecialists.com/target-in-chelsea/

04/28/2026

Big news at Trussville Promenade 👏

The former Big Lots space is getting a new life with Planet Fitness, expected to open in Q1 2027—bringing a great national fitness option to the area.

Landlord: Acadia Realty Trust
Leasing team: Walker Reich & Joe Strauss (Retail Specialists)
Tenant rep: Jay Ceitlin (SHOP Companies)

Excited to see the continued momentum here and what this means for traffic and long-term growth!