What's lurking in the closet under the stairs?

When we started talking about creating the Inn, of course, my brain went on overload. From decor to renovations, from amenities to food, all of these things will define us, or as they call it in the marketing world, brand us.

Having been in business my whole life and already having a strong understanding of how branding works, I knew in my heart that the Inn needed to be branded in a totally different way - a way that would evoke the feelings and memories of the overall experience that the guest had when they stayed with us.

Thus, the Curated Closet was born. We have no space here to operate a little gift shop, and I honestly figured that it would be a while away before we would really have a need for selling boutique items anyway. But I also knew that anything that we shared with our guests had to be special. Were we really ready to start down that path?

April is the one that came up with the idea of placing the boutique in the closet under the stairs. I wanted a bathroom, and at one time I even thought about an office. A bathroom would solve issues for when all the rooms were full and we needed a restroom for outside guests. Dan was not really thrilled about bathroom renovations, so when April came up with the idea for a boutique, knowing it required no plumbing and very little Dan work, the man was all in. So, together April and I sat down and carefully planned a small inventory of items. Small is the operative word because remember, our boutique is really only a closet under our stairway.

Our inventory includes items that evoke happy memories of the guest experience. What better way to do that than with a scent memory and bath experience? So began a wonderful collaboration with our friends from Hackney Rd Craft & Candle Co. with whom we created a signature lotion and soap scent along with bath soak and candles.

One morning I was in the shower, and if you follow our story, you already know that our shower has this amazing window to the outside. On this morning, the sun was rising and shining perfectly, and my day was off to the perfect start. To make it even more perfect, I was enjoying my morning coffee in the shower. Now if you have never done that before, I highly recommend you give it a try. It’s my personal favorite spot for morning coffee.

Anyway, we were trying to think of a name for our new scent. I knew that it had to reference these perfect morning moments. I also knew I wanted it to reflect the guest experience, and set the stage for our guests’ days and most importantly their morning experiences with us.

But on this particular morning, I kept coming back to the sensations of the scent of our newborn shower gel. There is nothing more glorious than a bright, perky, citrusy, feel-good scent in the shower followed by a lather of luxurious lotion to get your morning off to a good start. This, my friends, is how “Peep of Day” was born. ​

For me, the scent evokes feelings of the day’s first light - the peep of day. The thing that I didn’t totally take into consideration was how much fun April would have with the name when her newly hatched chicks arrived. The baby peeps found their way right into a product photo shoot. The girl is totally genius though, isn’t she?

We have created some other fun items, and will be offering in limited quantities. We also collaborated with Hackney Rd to create a custom copper cuff bracelet that will help you find your way back to the Inn. Inside the Curated Closet you’ll also find the same turkish towels and terry robes used here at the Inns along with several souvenir items.

So on your next visit to The Inns at 8th & Main, be sure to check out The Curated Closet and take memories of your stay home with you.

 

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