2 Creative Agencies Open New Office In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — A pair of creative agencies recently moved from Bridgeport to the Galleria, 63 Unquowa Road in downtown Fairfield.

The Bananaland, a boutique creative agency, and Dogsname, a marketing design firm, were welcomed to town by First Selectperson Christine Vitale and Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

The separate companies are owned by Luke Scott (Dogsname) and Marcella Kovac (Bananaland), husband and wife who live in nearby Black Rock.

Scott, who grew up in Westport and graduated from Staples High School, has run Dogsname for nearly 30 years, and has worked out of offices in Westport, Norwalk and Bridgeport.

The firm concentrates on creative storytelling, branding, marketing and advertising, and dates all the back to the days of dial-up, Netscape, pre-Facebook and pre-iPhones.

"We continue to find new opportunities for clients to brand and market themselves and build their businesses," Scott told Patch. "We do a lot of real estate work, billboards on the highway, so on and so forth. We try to have some fun and help clients grow."

Scott also owns an apparel company, Tourbus, which he co-founded with a friend from way back in middle school in Westport. The company sells Grateful Dead-inspired tee shirts, hats and other clothing.

The move to Fairfield, however, marks the first time Scott's firms and The Bananaland have been welcomed to a community with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"It means alot," Scott said. "We were feeling the love here in downtown Fairfield. I've had three Westport spots, a big South Norwalk office, and two pretty fabulous spaces in Bridgeport, but I've never had a ribbon-cutting. Never been offered, so it says a lot about the Town of Fairfield."

Kovac agreed. The Bananaland, co-owned by Kovac and partners, is a full-service marketing agency, specializing in design, website design and development, social media campaigns and more.

"Basically, anything around marketing, we're your go-to shop," Kovac said of the 16-year-old company.

When the Bridgeport lease was up, the firm scouted around for a new space, and immediately fell in love with Galleria site, which houses several small businesses on Unquowa Road near the train station.

"We loved the natural light, and the walkability," Kovac said of the lower-level office. "It felt very cozy."

"The town offered a ribbon-cutting, which was so warm and welcoming of them, so we said of course! We would love that, and it was an opportunity to get some of our clients here and friends, so it was really nice gesture by the town."