Dennis Bernard, founder and president of Southfield, Michigan-based Bernard Financial Group, said that the Detroit commercial real estate market continues to gain momentum.

And the future looks bright, both in the heart of downtown Detroit and in the city’s outer neighborhoods and suburbs, he said.

The lowest unemployment in decades, combined with the embrace of online commerce by shopping centers and their retailers, should drive visits to brick-and-mortar stores this Thanksgiving weekend to their highest level in years, according to brokers, analysts and shopping center operators.