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The Retail Leasing Guide
Most retail leasing doesn't start with posting a vacancy online. It starts with understanding the space, the block, the customer, and the tenants that actually have a reason to be there.
Start With a 153-Point Site Survey
Square footage and prior tenant are not enough. Before marketing a space, you need to know what it can actually become. We use a 153-point site survey before taking a retail vacancy to market.
Physical Specs
Ceiling heights, frontage, column layout, and lower-level usability shape the entire tenant universe.
Power & Venting
Determines whether food, fitness, salon, medical, or higher-load uses are realistic.
Signage & Visibility
Frontage tells a retailer how much display power, branding, and street presence the space has.
Access & Mechanicals
ADA access, bathroom count, and mechanical conditions all affect what categories can operate.
Study the Block, Not Just the Address
Retail is not only about the four walls. A strong leasing strategy examines what's happening around the space.
The real question is not just who lives nearby. It is who actually passes the storefront, what they spend money on, and which tenants want that customer.
Spending Data
Credit card spending patterns reveal what categories the local customer already supports.
Pedestrian Traffic
How many people walk by, where they come from, and where they go next.
Traffic Drivers
Is demand driven by residents, workers, tourists, students, commuters, or destination shoppers?
Identify Best-Fit Tenant Categories
You’ve already studied the space and the customer walking past it.
The next step is not “let’s see who calls.” It is identifying the top 3–4 tenant categories that have the strongest reason to be there.
That means asking three simple questions: what can physically operate here, what does the block already support, and what can afford the rent? Ceiling height, power, frontage, layout, venting, co-tenancy, spending patterns, buildout cost, and tenant margins all matter.
The goal is not to place the first tenant who calls about the space.
It is to place the tenant category where the storefront, the customer, and the business model actually line up.
Build the Tenant Target List
Once the best-fit categories are clear, the next step is not waiting for inbound leads. It is building a list of tenants that already have a reason to consider the space.
Build the Argument
A good tenant thesis connects the space, the customer, and the industry. A landlord should know why we're targeting a category. A tenant should know why the location belongs on their expansion list.
Expansion Signals to Target
  • Recent new store openings in comparable markets
  • Hiring for real estate or growth roles
  • Social media demand from customers
  • No nearby location despite clear customer overlap
  • Format that matches available square footage
Proactive Outreach That Actually Works
The message should never be generic. Each outreach should explain exactly why this tenant belongs in this space.
1
The Property
Physical specs define the opportunity.
2
The Block
Data defines the customer.
3
The Categories
Strategy defines the fit.
4
The Outreach
Evidence drives the deal.
What this sounds like to a tenant:
"You are already succeeding in similar markets. Your customer base overlaps with this block. Your brand has demand here."
Need Help With a Storefront?
If you're a Lower Manhattan retail landlord, we can help you evaluate your space end-to-end. The right tenant isn't always the one who calls first — it's the one that actually fits.
Site Survey
Spending Data
Foot Traffic
Tenant Targets
Outreach Strategy
Contact Us Today
We'll walk the space within 48 hours and tell you exactly which tenant categories fit. No obligation, no generic pitch deck.
Rova Real Estate
212.470.1632
101 6th Ave
Floor 9 — Suite C
New York, NY 10013
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