Trendcentral reported this week that pleather shoes are back, and better yet, being sold as “vegan/cruelty free” specialty items.  Pleather!  Talk about finding a way to make a mundane product with a cheap reputation hip and chic again.  Give a product a trend-friendly spin, and voila’ – people have a reason to buy it again.  

Think about your community or portfolio.  What is right in front of you that with a twist, could add value to your offerings?  Perhaps you have a vacant plot of dirt.  A little elbow grease and topsoil could result in a community garden – very hip to today’s recessionista crowd.  Maybe you have an old community but you have a lot of land.  Pace it out and create a walking area complete with distance markers.  Conference room void of conferences?  Abandon that purpose and turn it into a CYO (Create Your Own) room.  Offer classes in do-it-yourself fare and show people how to create with less.  Don’t like that idea?  Offer classes in money management or resume building.   The point is, think about what resonates with your residents during these times and respond.  In the process, you will build value.  

Get together with your team today and ask yourselves, “Where is the Pleather in our community?”  Then redefine it.