26 - BUSINESS FOCUS Jackson Hole News&Guide, Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Ashley Wilkerson
New Inn on the Creek owners Casey and Amy Morton constantly work to enhance the guest experience. Recent additions include a tea garden, a revamped Swan Suite that sleeps six and seating overlooking Flat Creek.
Inn on the Creek
295 N. Milward 739-1565 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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t’s been almost a year since Casey and Amy Morton took over Inn on the Creek. And for almost every day they’ve owned the cozy downtown inn, Casey can think of at least one improvement they’ve made. Most are not noticeable to the average guest, but some are quite obvious, like removing a wall on the back patio so guests can enjoy views of Flat Creek. All told, the 200 or so improvements the Mortons have made were all done with the idea of enhancing the experience of staying there. “At least once a day, someone gives us a suggestion,” Casey said, “and I follow up on it.” The Mortons bought Inn on the Creek on July 19, a move that brought Casey out of a short-lived retirement. The couple owned the 27-room Sundance Inn from 1986 to 2008. For the 15 years before their move to Jackson, Casey worked in or ran hotels in Sun Valley, Idaho, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Vermont and Switzerland. So, being out of the industry left Casey feeling somewhat empty. Now, with the 10-room inn, the Mortons are able to focus again on the guest experience. It’s the little touches, they say, that set them apart. Each morning at Inn on the Creek starts with a homemade breakfast. Amy, whose recipes are featured in “The Great Country Inns of America Cookbook,” arrives at the property at 5:30 a.m. daily to bake from scratch. Breakfast, which also includes a hot dish, is served around a communal table or in your room. Sometimes, if it’s not too crowded, Casey will work as the short-order cook, frying up eggs or whipping up French toast. Breakfast also gives the couple a chance to interact with guests, offering advice on where to go and what to do during their Jackson visit. If guests want to just spend some time at the property, they now have a few more options for relaxing. The Mortons recently installed what they call “The Secret Garden,” inspired by the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. In the back, guests can take a seat in a gazebo or on the back porch and enjoy the Flat Creek habitat. A family of geese frequents the property, as do many of the 200 species of birds that live in Jackson. One of the biggest changes has been a revamped room called the Swan Suite. With help from Kate Binger of Dwelling, the room features updated furniture, new beds and the ability to sleep a family of six. “In my 40-year career, this is my fifth property,” Casey said, “and it’s still just as challenging and exciting as the first.” And, Amy said, “he’s not rearranging the gnomes at home anymore.” For more, visit www.innonthecreek.com. — Cara Rank
Ashley Wilkerson
Circ / Courtesy Photo
The dynamic team of Circ (formerly Circumerro) serves client brands across the country through the company’s core services: branding, e-commerce design and mobile and web application development.
Circ 215 N. Milward 733-8319 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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fter 17 years in business, Circumerro Media has shortened its name to Circ. “We’re rolling out an updated identity this month that reflects our successful evolution as a company and the work we are doing today,” Latham Jenkins, founder and president, said. “Circumerro is a Latin word that means to travel, which historically has been our focus.” Circ’s local publications, Jackson Hole Traveler and Homestead, have been great successes for the agency. Advertisers in these publications have sustained the company during the last 17 years, helping to grow Circ’s creative services. The design agency now serves client brands across the country through its core services: branding, e-commerce design, and mobile and Web application development. Circ’s clients span various industries, such as health care, online media, technology, apparel and artificial surfacing. Its client roster has included companies like Cigna, Remedy Health Media, Dell, XGrass and Cloudveil. Over the years, nearly everyone who has touched the agency has come to call it “Circ,” and it seemed only natural to embrace the shortened name, Jenkins said. The change of the name and identity reflects the evolution of the company’s brand and the work that defines the company now. Today, Circ is a multidisciplinary communication design agency. Recently, much of Circ’s work has been a response to the disruption that new technologies create for businesses and the need to build brand experiences that address it. Whether it’s designing e-commerce websites and mobile platforms or building more unified digital strategies, Circ thrives on creating value within digital channels that deliver engaging brand experiences and build brand loyalty. Circ understands that word of mouth is one of the most effective means by which experiences are shared, and to leverage that kind sharing, businesses need to engage their audiences and create conversations around their brand. Circ represents the circular nature of these conversations and is expressed in its new tag-line: “Great brands live in conversation.” Visit www.circ.biz for more. — Katy Niner
Rock Lobster offers “mountain casual sophisticated” clothes. “People are just so excited to have something that’s fun, with prints and brighter colors,” owner Molly McCrea said.
Rock Lobster
36 E. Broadway 201-1348 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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ock Lobster Lifestyle Boutique has forged a new fashion frontier in Jackson: mountain casual sophisticated. For more than two decades, Molly McCrea has traveled between Minnesota and Jackson Hole with her wardrobe of East Coast-inspired clothing. While Minnesota stores stocked the brands she loved, Jackson retailers did not. So when a Town Square storefront became available, she jumped on the opportunity to fill create a place where men could find ties and buttondowns and women could buy bright print dresses and swimsuits. The store name symbolizes the fusion that is McCrea’s timeless style: The “lobster” references the East Coast, while the “rock” represents the mountains. Rock Lobster opened in August and immediately hit a chord. “The mountain casual sophisticated look is full of bright colors at good price points during the summer,” McCrea said. “In the fall and winter, it becomes classic and timeless: gorgeous cashmere, holiday and cocktail dresses, custom suits and sports coats, waxed coats, winter casual and dress coats, stylish sportswear and comfy flannels.” As a lifestyle boutique, Rock Lobster stocks everything from apparel for men, women, children and infants to gifts, jewelry and home decor. It also offers monogramming and custom fitting. Rock Lobster features a host of brands well-known on the Eastern Seaboard, like Barbour, Vineyard Vines, Shoshanna, Lilly Pulitzer, Jude Connally and Henry & Belle jeans. It recently “crossed the pond,” adding European designers like Marc Cain, Monaco Cashmere and Raoul, a French brand. For men, the store stocks Scotch and Soda, Bills Khakis, Southern Tides polo and sport shirts, Peter Millar custom sport coats, suits, ties and sweaters, Bird Dog Bay neckties, bowtieand-cumberbund sets and cufflinks. On the accessories front, Rock Lobster carries equestrianinspired luggage and bags from Oughton Limited, Lilly Pulitzer wedges and jewelry, Toss bags, the Glamourpuss line from New York City, Atlantis Berlin jewelry and monogrammable cellphone covers in a rainbow of colors and patterns. Its home line features Bella Notta linens. For a sophisticated souvenir, Rock Lobster has Smathers and Branson needlepoint belts for men or women featuring the Aerial Tram, the outline of the Tetons and a bronco on it as well as needlepoint key fobs. A pink Vineyard Vines tote bag bears a brown bucking bronco and, soon, back by customer demand, the store will carry Vineyard Vines bucking bronco ties. Lifestyle lines include Picnic at Ascot picnic baskets and Simpatico candles and diffusers. For bath and body, there is Barr-Co bath and The Laundress line. “We are always changing to surpass the needs of our customers,” McCrea said. “Check in often — you never know what new great merchandise you will find.” Rock Lobster Lifestyle Boutique is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday (8 p.m. Thursday), noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. “We also are open by appointment, offer complimentary hemming on full-price items, gift wrap and are happy to ship or deliver,” she said. For information, visit www.rocklobsterjh.com. — Katy Niner
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295 North Milward, Jackson, WY • 307-739-1565 innonthecreek.com