Plaza Manager Has Unique Marketing Ploy: 'Name Your Own Rent'

VERNON, CT — The manager of a Vernon strip shopping plaza has a knack for his creative marketing campaigns and, in the first week of 2021, his creativity has stepped it up a notch.

"Name Your Own Rent," the sign at 500 Talcottville Road read this week.

"I change signs a lot," Rick Konon said of his property management style. "Changing things up is a benefit to drawing attention to the property."

The Vernon strip mall, roughly halfway through the town on state Route 83, currently has two vacancies. Its tenants include a popular billiards hall, a hair salon and a pet-themed store. A local plumbing business recently relocated elsewhere in Vernon. Konon had a snowman sign there on and off since 2018. This fall, he turned to "free rent until its snows."

"Well ... obviously it has snow already, so I had to change things up ... again," Konon said with a laugh. I'm a big fan of Monopoly. I played it a lot growing up so I decided to put the Monopoly Guy with the name your own rent sign."

So there he was this week, fashioned by Signarama, located a short distance away in Vernon.

"Hey ... he's happy and the game brings back memories," Konon said. "The most important thing with signs is graphics. It brings attention to the property and makes people comfortable."

But how comfortable are the "name your own rent" negotiations?

"Here's how it works ... It gets people comfortable enough to call me," Konon said. "Yes, it's a gimmick, but it lets me ask what it would take to get the person as a tenant.

"The conversation continues from there."

Konon said he had to turn down one prospective tenant because it was a duplicate use. He added he has one "very good" prospect for the plaza and a second prospect has inquired.

"It's a good plaza in a good town," he said. "Vernon is busy, town officials support business and it's a fun place to be."