In the regional fight for retailers, Prince George's has often been measured against Montgomery and Fairfax counties, but their median incomes are among the highest in the country.
Brokers also say the county is not always an easy place to develop a retail center.
"It is a very long, arduous process to get projects approved in the county, and it can have a dampening effect," said Richard Lake, a principal at Madison Retail Group, which is working on a development in Hyattsville called University Town Center. "That is a real problem. Sometimes retailers just lose their patience and move on."
Which is why Johnson came to Las Vegas. Convinced that the only way to turn the retail tide was to make a personal plea, the county executive decided to lead a small delegation of county leaders to the shopping centers convention, the mall industry's biggest dealmaking event.
Johnson cannot close a retail deal, but he can speed up the development process, offer his support to projects and cheerlead for retailers. During the convention, Johnson met with 27 brokers and developers and pointed them to several major projects under development in the county.
· Karington, a $900 million planned community in Bowie, will be centered on 300,000 square feet of retail that its developers hope will be managed and constructed by Westfield.
· National Harbor, the $2 billion hotel, office, restaurant and entertainment complex along the Potomac River in Fort Washington, will include 1 million square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment.
· Konterra, a 2,200-acre mixed-use development that touches parts of Beltsville and Laurel, will feature a regional mall anchored by national department stores.
· Woodmore Towne Center, which is being developed on 245 acres in Landover, will include a complex of homes, offices and moderate-to high-end furniture, clothing and specialty retailers.
County officials, developers and some retail brokers say that some of those projects could yield the county's elusive prize -- an upscale department store.
But if Johnson's experience in Las Vegas is any guide, high-end retail will not happen overnight. Retail brokers are slow to sign deals. They carefully scour data on incomes, education levels and population density. And they are wary of anything new -- which, for many, means Prince George's.
"I know nothing about" the sites the county is promoting, said Guth, the Cheesecake Factory representative.
But Johnson is undeterred. Upscale retail, he says, is key to the county's future. "When our citizens have the same shopping opportunities as other communities, then they feel good about where they live."
And so he will continue to wait.
"We are focusing on the top," Johnson said during one of his brief meetings with a retail broker in Las Vegas. "I would love to hold a press conference and introduce you as the person who brought high-end retail," he said. "You would be a hero."
Barbaro reported from Las Vegas and Williams from Washington.
