One upside to the dismal economy: an increase in national creativity.  Across the country, consumers are taking creative approaches to obtaining fashionable footwear. Some are taking their old favorites to repair shops, rather than shelling out precious greenbacks for new kicks. Others are swapping clothes and accessories with friends, as the Associated Press recently highlighted in an article titled “Squeezed by Economy, Shoppers become Swappers.” Still others are turning to an age-old technique for preserving limited funds: rental. As highlighted in the video at below, Maggie Snow and Shannon Valitzek, sisters hailing from Boise, Idaho, are offering consumers a chance to save both the earth and a few bucks by renting formal shoes out of their store, One Night Stand.

Aside from congratulating the sisters on a clever name for their store, I commend them for their innovation.  Most women wear their formal shoes only one or two times before relegating them to the back of the closet.  If you’re like me, your rhinestone-studded prom pieces are gathering dust, taking up space, and remotely guilting you out for not wearing them more often.  Assuming the shoes are thoroughly sanitized and in good shape, I’d definitely be willing to take a rental pair out for a test drive. I also like the idea of renting shoes as a way to figure out whether a certain pair is comfortable enough for a whole night on the town.  If the rental audition went well, I’d gladly buy a pair.

Still, until a shoe rental store pops up in Portland, I’ll keep shopping Shoefly, which has great deals on formal shoes.  For a piddly $35, for instance, you can have your own pair of the Grace-Kelly-chic Dolce Vita pumps shown at right.