Fall is here, the shoppers are back and new stores are opening every day-it's a retail maven's heaven! Fashion Week was a huge hit, and I'm particularly heartened by the return of wearable silhouettes and a color palette that will appeal to most shoppers. Recent stats confirm that the recession is over, and consumer confidence continues to increase, up 2.5 points in August as we await September figures. As I write this, stocks are generally on the uptick throughout September, so people should feel more comfortable about holiday shopping. In addition, word on the street is that the CMBS market is coming back ever-so-slightly, which could bode well for development opportunities in 2011 and beyond. Will it be the insanity of 2007? No. And it shouldn't be. But there could be one more weapon in the financial arsenal for retailers and developers looking to expand going forward. Of course, growth already is going on. The news that Century 21 will replace Barnes & Noble at 66th St. and Broadway in fall 2011 is just literally the largest news. CH by Carolina Herrera has opened at 802 Madison Ave., while the Filene's Basement/Sym's co-branded store, fbSy has debuted at 2222 Broadway and 2228 Broadway. This experiment is particularly interesting, and it will be fun to see where it goes. Creatures of Comfort has debuted at 205 Mulberry St. Trader Joe's has entered the Upper West Side supermarket wars at 72nd Sts and Broadway. The world's only Wonka Candy Store has debuted at 1514 Broadway, inside Toys R Us. REI will bring its outdoor gear to Soho at 295 Lafayette St., while SoulCycle continues its expansion with a unit at 12 East 18th St. Brazil's Melissa will open a store on Greene between Prince and Spring early next spring. We're waiting for the opening of Alexander Wang at 103 Grand St., Yohji Yamamoto's old space. Jacques Torres will bring his to-die-for chocolates uptown to Godiva's former space at 30 Rockefeller Center. London shoe purveyor Ash Footwear is opening its first U.S. store at 44 Mercer St. Popups include Duckie Brown by Florsheim at 109 Mercer St. and Harry & David at 155 Fifth Ave. Brooklyn's Epaulet crosses the river to 151 Orchard St. for this month only. Diane von Furstenberg is entering Soho, at 135 Wooster St. Published reports say that TJ Maxx, which has taken spaces on both East and West 57th St., is looking south to Wall St. And fall brings the continuation of the ICSC Special Interest Group for Women, with our next event to take place at the association's Chicago Deal Making. Right after a 12 noon lunch on October 28 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel at 151 East Wacker Dr., I will once again discuss "New Retailers and Globalization." Also speaking are Peg Blanchard, director of economic and community development for the village of Barrington, offering her views on "Understanding Municipal Politics to Further Development." Elizabeth Holland, CEO of Abbell Credit Corp. and a past ICSC trustee will offer thoughts on "Keeping Your Tenants in Business During a Renovation." Donna Pugh, a partner at Foley Lardner LLP, will lead a talk on "Successful Zoning Approvals: Creating Consensus." And Kristi Rankin, a senior VP of Inland Commercial Property Management, will discuss "The Ins and Outs of Internal and External Communications." Attendance is included in the conference registration - those wishing to attend the Special Interest Group only may do so for a $25 fee. To register for the full conference, visit www.icsc.org/2010CDM. For the SIG only, email [email protected]. Our sessions in Las Vegas, Boston, Orlando and San Diego have been hugely successful, and we're continuing to grow our network to empower women in our industry! So with the fourth quarter now underway, we're looking to close deals, check out the Windy City, and keep our fingers crossed that the news stays good for the rest of 2010. Faith Hope Consolo is the chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group, New York, N.Y.