Happy 3rd Birthday, moreClaremore!

Today marks three years since Amy Gordon and Robert Melton took their dream of a unified Claremore to the masses. It’s been three years since Amy wrote these words. And these:

Claremore gets up every morning and talks about county commissioners fighting. Train track traffic. Not enough restaurants.  Not enough retail.

Why don’t we get up and look at our positives. Maybe if we look at the positives we will figure a way to fix our flaws. I believe it happens that way.

If we believe our community has great people walking side by side every day, which it does, maybe one conversation some day will lead to positive things being said to someone who may be a potential investor in our town.

moreClaremore has a come a long way since its launch in 2013. We’ve moved from the RSU Innovation Center to a temporary space at NTC, and now to our permanent home on Missouri in downtown Claremore. For Amy and Robert, it’s full circle; the Melton family has been on the corner of 4th and Missouri for five generations now. One year ago, we were at the beginning of a building demo and renovation; it was hard to imagine the end result. And now, it’s a bustling space for downtown, providing amenities and opportunities that nobody even realized were needed. It’s a shared workspace, which is new for Claremore. It’s a boardroom that provides space for nonprofits who would otherwise be meeting somewhere less than ideal. Unexpectedly, it’s become a popular event space; we’ve rented it out for meetings, birthday parties, baby showers, and wedding receptions. Claremore Collective uses the building for mixers and meetings on a monthly basis. North Block Common has become something different for a lot of folks. The building was even recognized by Oklahoma Main Street this year, nominated for two awards. We went to Oklahoma City and brought home the winning trophy for “Best Facade Renovation Under $10k”.

Nearly one year ago, I went from being a solo full-time staffer to a party of two when Travis Peck came onboard as our sales guy. We make a good team; he’s loud when I’m quiet, outgoing when I’m shy. Between the two of us, we know (or know of) nearly everyone we come in contact with. Together, our weekly video series has evolved into something informative and sometimes hilarious (in our opinions).

Because of the opportunities afforded us by moreClaremore, we’ve gotten to do some really fun things in the past year. Of course, we are still actively involved in the West Bend Block Parties, which are held on the third Tuesday of each month. This year, we were a part of the Will Rogers Stampede Rodeo, which was a lot of fun, and we even got new cowboy boots. We went on the roof of the Will Rogers Hotel and have toured the long-vacant Twin Oaks Hotel. I was a guest marshal at a gun museum High Noon Shootout. Travis was a celebrity judge at the Mr. Claremore pageant. The team at TAG took us up in a private plane from Claremore Regional Airport.

Back in the day, we offered simple banner ads. Travis has created a comprehensive marketing package that can be tailored for businesses both large and small. He also brings impressive video editing skills to the table, so moreClaremore now even offers commercials. Also, you know the digital sign by Pizza Hut? We can handle that for you, too.

We are proud and excited to be in Claremore. Our brand is becoming more known by the day, and we are eager to see what comes next. And hey, if you want one of our awesome bird shirts or hats, you can buy them from us.

-MCM Staffer Ashley,
who hopes someone will bring us
some birthday cake