It's all in a name
Coming up with the perfect name for a business isn't so easy. It needs to represent the business, be attractive and sound good. Here in Spain, if the name is in English, they think it is a winner - even if it sounds ridiculous in English.
As I walk through the streets of Madrid, I laugh and take note of these names and wonder if anyone in the USA would actually use them for their business. Here are a few:
What a cut!, Chicken Go!, Folder, Oh!, Only you, Cool, LOL Trendy, Brains, and Home.
The obvious, What a cut! is the name of a hair salon, but to me, this exclamative seems more like a remark regarding a person who just got a bad hair cut.
"Did you see Emma's new hair cut?"
"I did, yikes, what a cut!"
Chicken Go is a take out rotisserie chicken shop where the chicken goes with you. They make the most succulent roasted chicken, and it is our "go-to" takeout restaurant. And as the name suggests, Folder is a stationery/office supply store, but using the singluar noun doesn't sit well with me. Oh! is a delicatessen, Only you is a boutique hotel, but gives the sense that you will be very lonely there as they cater only to you. Cool is a lady's clothing boutique that is a bit edgy, or as the name infers, cool. The store clerk at the women's boutique, LOL Trendy, explained that their fashion is so trendy it makes every one smile, thus the name LOL Trendy. In reality, the merchandise was of poor quality and I left just as quickly as I entered. To a store owner, that is no laughing matter.
Brains, the name of an international school in Madrid, educates children from preschool through high school. Although you don't have to be a "brain" to go there, perhaps their goal is to make you a "brain." However, the name alone strikes me as odd. May I suggest, Brainpower or Developing Brains? This organ-named school has an amazing campus with state-of-the-art facilities including a large indoor pool (a rarity here). But they also have a tall sign rising high above the neighborhood, which looks tacky, an anomoly for one of the most expensive schools in a nice area. What brains thought that up?
Finally, my favorite name of all is Home. It conjures up many warm thoughts such as, "Home is where the heart is," and "There's no place like home." And this restaurant, named Home presumably serves home cooked meals. It makes sense until it creates confusion when planning to eat there:
"Are you ready for dinner?"
"Yes, let's eat."
"Please wear something a bit nicer."
"Why? We're eating at home."
"Exactly, we're eating at Home, so please change."
"What does it matter if we're eating at home, no one will see us."
"Everyone at Home will see us."
"Are we having company tonight?"
"No, we're eating at Home."
"Then who will see us, who else is going to be at home?"
"I don't know, whoever else wants to eat at Home."
"Anyone can come and eat at home tonight?"
"Yes, whoever wants to eat at Home as long as there is enough room."
"What?????"
As I walk through the streets of Madrid, I laugh and take note of these names and wonder if anyone in the USA would actually use them for their business. Here are a few:
What a cut!, Chicken Go!, Folder, Oh!, Only you, Cool, LOL Trendy, Brains, and Home.
The obvious, What a cut! is the name of a hair salon, but to me, this exclamative seems more like a remark regarding a person who just got a bad hair cut.
"Did you see Emma's new hair cut?"
"I did, yikes, what a cut!"
Brains, the name of an international school in Madrid, educates children from preschool through high school. Although you don't have to be a "brain" to go there, perhaps their goal is to make you a "brain." However, the name alone strikes me as odd. May I suggest, Brainpower or Developing Brains? This organ-named school has an amazing campus with state-of-the-art facilities including a large indoor pool (a rarity here). But they also have a tall sign rising high above the neighborhood, which looks tacky, an anomoly for one of the most expensive schools in a nice area. What brains thought that up?
Finally, my favorite name of all is Home. It conjures up many warm thoughts such as, "Home is where the heart is," and "There's no place like home." And this restaurant, named Home presumably serves home cooked meals. It makes sense until it creates confusion when planning to eat there:
"Are you ready for dinner?"
"Yes, let's eat."
"Please wear something a bit nicer."
"Why? We're eating at home."
"Exactly, we're eating at Home, so please change."
"What does it matter if we're eating at home, no one will see us."
"Everyone at Home will see us."
"Are we having company tonight?"
"No, we're eating at Home."
"Then who will see us, who else is going to be at home?"
"I don't know, whoever else wants to eat at Home."
"Anyone can come and eat at home tonight?"
"Yes, whoever wants to eat at Home as long as there is enough room."
"What?????"
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