Help, I need a name?!?!>!?

Question

Name still needed

Customers named my last store. My husband Jim and I made cigar box purses. Jim did the handwork and signed his initials to each purse. No two were alike and each was numbered. Customers just starting calling us JPK for James Paul Karasek. I just added boutique because I carried clothing, jewelry, accessories, home décor and a potpourri of new and vintage treasures.



I’m opening a new store in a century-old, colonial home right next to my Hartville home. I want to get away form the boutique name because men don’t like coming into a boutique. Plus, I want to go with a retro feel. I want to find metal pieces that can be used as shelving and décor. An upscale, retro place.



About 50 people sent names when I asked before. Cute names, but nothing that felt right. I had an easier time naming my children.



I’m stuck! I want a retro feeling name that will attract men and women. I’ll have previously-owned, like new clothing, jewelry and accessories. I’ll also have new items: Burt’s Bees and Watkins products. And, previously owned and new books.



We’re renovating the space now. The store is just the first floor. The previous tenants left it a disaster. We’ve been knocking down walls, getting rid of cat-peed carpet and tearing off old wallpaper. I wish a designer and builder team would adopt the project. It sure would be a great advertisement for them. We have an empty shell now. We have to rip up more flooring and parts of the ceiling before starting on design.



Anyway, I really need help. You’re creative. Would you please help me find a name? Also, if you have suggestions about décor, I welcome those, too. Shoe-string is an overstatement for my budget. If you know other creative people, would you please ask for their opinion?



I want to stay away from anything implying thrift shop. Must be upscale. I have to get a new vendor’s license and file my business paperwork. To do that, I need a name. I really, really need help.

Men are big buyers of Burt's Bees and Watkins Products. That's why I need them. Also, they buy gifts for their special someone.

We aalready have in town:
Creative Treasures
Country Store
Hartville Mercantile
Hartville MarketPlace



Here's some:
The Store
Buzz
Clamor
Clank
Trinkets & Treasures


I'll post others I got

Here's the feel of the store: upscale, clean and classy. Not mall-like. Unique. Not at all flea market. Jazz music, mixed with oldies from the 20s, 30s, 40s.

Pleasant smelling. Yankee plug in Macintosh is heavenly.

Customers are known by name. They get one-to-one attention. Very often I help them problem solve.

That's what I had at my last store.

I actually thought about offering muse services. People say I’m a great barnstormer/problem solver.

Answer 1

The naming of your business could be one of the most important decisions you will make. A name's originality and legal availability will create a real asset value of its own, as it becomes marketed and gains market acceptance.

The name you choose will become the focal point of all the benefits and features that relate to your business. Customers will be able to find and refer others to it in the future.

Since any names that are suggested here may already be owned by another party, I wanted to go a different route...

I suggest either hiring a name creation firm or get together with your friends and/or family and throw a "name party" & have everyone bounce some ideas around. Compile a listing of names that you like the best. Once you have that list, do as much free research as you can before you delve into comprehensive research.

I listed some links where you can do some preliminary name checking. However, please be aware that this is merely scratching the surface of what's out there. Only comprehensive research will tell you if the name is truly available. But, these links are free & a great place to start, so I'd try them out first.

There are other sites that offer free searching capabilities in conjunction with their commercial services, so I'm not able to post those links due to the Yahoo! TOS. You'll also want to check domain names & yellow pages, so simply do a search for "free domain name search" and "national yellowpages" and the appropriate links will pop up.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

Coming up with a name that fits the personality of your business is one of the hardest things I have ever done. I've done it twice now, for two very different businesses. In my experience, you need something short and memorable. Too long, or too many syllables makes it easier to forget. Plus, you'll get tired of saying it. There are literally a million variations you could try. You also want to research whatever you come up with, so that you can acquire the domain for it on the internet if you ever want an online store, email addresses, etc. You also need to check with the state secretary general to make sure the name isn't taken. The last business I came up with the name after literally hundreds of ideas, I looked up old words that have fallen out of the dictionary (You can find those online), thesauruses, etc. You could take something like not-so-new and play on the words, like not-sew-new. I did brainstorming sessions, where I wrote down name and word associations, combinging them together in different ways, until I got a few that inspired me, and then took a poll of family and friends to see which ones caught their eye the most. It's a tough process unless you just happen to get lucky and fall into a great business name. Good Luck!

Answer 3

old names were functional. old names were not cutesy or made up. guys don't like cutesy made up names

but... are you selling "shelving" or "decor" ? in my eyes theres a big difference, not only in marketing but in the entire target audience and your brand approach.

I suspect you lean toward "decor" which makes me ask why you care about attracting men anyway? Just sell the stuff you want and attract the people you want.

you know the chain called "Restoration Hardware" ? simple, non-cutesy, same kind of stuff, great margins.

here are some words that say "old" to me

mercantile
supplies
rustic
feed and grain (or take any 2 words like that)
supplies and sundries
shelving and decor
general store

How about JPK Materials and Sundries
JPK Material and Mercantile, General Store est 2006.

etc

Answer 4

Annies of Hartville. Pick an "A" name from your family as well. "A's" go to the top of listings like phone books. Good luck!

Answer 5

FlashBack

Answer 6

Why not Classic JPK or how about Scale Up to JPK? Or even
All About Me.

Answer 7

Karasek Nich

lol, its the best i can come up with, right?

Answer 8

retro metro.. or metro retro...nothing fancy schmanzy

Answer 9

His & Hers