What's in a Name

Our Home To Yours Re-brand Series

What’s in a Name…

Well I chose Tuesdays to write posts on branding, but today is Wednesday. What’s up with that? My apologies folks! The customers at Wallyworld wait for no one. Ugh.

Let me tell you, I sure am getting tired of teaching people to use a scanner. Or their smartphone. If you have hundreds of dollars to spend on a piece of technology you better learn how to use it! Life is so unfair.

I could go on about retail life, however that whole debacle is for another blog entirely!

Back to the task at hand…

I’m still brainstorming names for the Our Home To Yours re-brand. And I tell ya it ain’t easy. Every handcraft shop out there has some cutesy-fartsy name that ties in some element of the crafting process. And every website is filled with pastel colors and elements that imply sewed characteristics.

Now hold on there. I’m not necessarily dissing this stuff. I have good friends who have utilized these very traits and have successful brands. But I’m not here to be a copycat. That stuff has been done. It’s almost expected for a handcraft shop to look all frilly and pastely with vintagy labels and other adjectives that end in “y” (which may or may not be real words).

And printables!

Everyone gives out free printables.

I hate that word.

Printable.

It just sounds odd.

Moving forward!

Names!

What’s in a name? Yes we all know a rose called by any other name would smell just as sweet.

But not in the business world.

A name tells customers exactly who you are without even looking at the logo yet or taking a gander inside the store.

It needs to be different yet tell us “who” the business is.

Our names given to us at birth tell a story of whom we are. I’m a total believer that a person’s name is important to their character. It should be well thought out and on-purpose. For instance the name Addison (the proper spelling thankyouverymuch) means “son of Adam” but is more popularly being given to girls. Why? Did you know “Shannon” is traditionally a boy’s name? It’s a name free for all these days. And don’t bother getting all defensive, for if you are offended by these simple musings then surely you are simple minded.

So in light of all that I’m taking thoughtful care into brainstorming names. And I’m not satisfied with the list I came up with. We (my mother and I) are proud to hail from Western New York and would like to blend our Northern roots with our Southern habitation. I thought of the name Southern Yankee, but its already taken. Drats.

Sure it’s stereotypical to include “Yankee” in our name (especially considering the whole world considers every American to be a “Yankee”, not just pigeon holed to the Northern states), but I can’t seem to escape it. I also want to include something to imply “home”, as in a cozy home or nest. “Burrow” came up in the thesaurus and I enjoy the definition, “2. (n.) a place of retreat; shelter or refuge.” I want this business to be someplace where you can find your “happy place”. So the name Yankee Burrow went on my list. What do you think of it?

Yankee Burrow.

The Yankee Burrow.

Hmmm.

The jury is still out on that one. I’m still brainstorming.

One month left to save up some $$ for the early bird registration to the HOW Design Conference!!

Who’s going with me??