# Bad business names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875 "2008-02-16T12:18:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/41 "2008-02-17T04:32:28Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] Not terribly far from here is a business named **Just Oil and More**. It makes me irritable every time I pass it. [/QUOTE] Oh yeah, that would make me twitch, too. In either Brainerd or Bemidji, Minnesota, there is the Cease Funeral Home. I also seem to remember seeing a sign in Dubuque, Iowa, for John Law, attorney. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/42 "2008-02-17T04:38:30Z")
I’m familiar with eateries in Illinois called [Booby’s](http://flickr.com/photos/stevencrane/316406183/sizes/m/) and [Gross’ Burgers](http://flickr.com/photos/gustavthree/112633875/sizes/o/in/photostream/). ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/43 "2008-02-17T04:43:10Z")
[666 Cold Medicine.](http://deuceofclubs.com/write/666.htm) I presume it’s not popular in the Bible Belt. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/44 "2008-02-17T04:52:01Z")
There is a large supermarket out in Monterey Park (a largely Chinese suburb of LA) called Shun Fat Market. And I don’t think they specialize in health food. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/45 "2008-02-17T05:17:47Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] My pet peeve is businesses that Use " 'n " instead of “and,” as in Tires 'n More. [/QUOTE] I don’t mind them, as long as they use apostrophes, not quotes. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/46 "2008-02-17T06:07:08Z")
[Megaflicks!](http://www.segura-inc.com/segura2/photos/seen+noted/images/megaflicks.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/47 "2008-02-17T06:26:57Z")
[QUOTE=Ichbin Dubist] There was a store in my hometown called OK Wigs. Has there even been a less inspiring store name? Yes, we have a whole store of just wigs, yes it is not 1965, yes the wigs themselves are mediocre and do not deserve superlatives. Come in before we kill ourselves. [/QUOTE] We had a Chinese food place like this near us: OK Chinese. My wife and I always used to make a similar joke about it: “Our food? It’s OK, I guess.” Go for the gusto, man! Call your place Excellent Chinese or Best Chinese or something. Labelling your product “OK” doesn’t really inspire me to rush in to try it. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/48 "2008-02-17T06:28:58Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] My pet peeve is businesses that Use " 'n " instead of “and,” as in Tires 'n More. [/QUOTE] Linens 'n Things is my favorite in this category. “Hmmmm, we need some…things. Now where could we go to buy some?” ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/49 "2008-02-17T06:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Manatee] Linens 'n Things is my favorite in this category. “Hmmmm, we need some…things. Now where could we go to buy some?” [/QUOTE] Why at Pets 'n Things, Kitchen 'n Things and/or Computers 'n Things, of course. These were three businesses on three consecutive blocks in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. As far as I know, though, only Kitchen 'n Things remains. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/50 "2008-02-17T07:30:15Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] I’ve always thought Blackwater was a particularly portentious name of a mercenary company that carries out murky and sometimes covert military-type operations. [/QUOTE] Especially given that it means raw sewage. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/51 "2008-02-17T07:48:43Z")
How about [Kum & Go](http://www.kumandgo.com/) gas stations? The first one I saw was in Cumming County, Nebraska. ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/52 "2008-02-17T17:12:08Z")
There is a used furniture store down the street from an apartment I used to live in that was called **Knot Knew Furniture**. The place didn’t even sell exclusively wooden furniture, so it didn’t have two puns in its name, it had two misspellings. The only way that name would work would be if they sold wooden furniture and out of date intelligence. “Yes, I’d like to buy a dining set and the location of Manuel Noriega.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/53 "2008-02-17T19:34:03Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] Especially given that it means raw sewage. [/QUOTE] And not just any raw sewage, either: raw sewage containing human and animal waste and all their pathogens! ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/54 "2008-02-17T21:00:20Z")
[QUOTE=Alistair McCello] There is a used furniture store down the street from an apartment I used to live in that was called **Knot Knew Furniture**. The place didn’t even sell exclusively wooden furniture, so it didn’t have two puns in its name, it had two misspellings. The only way that name would work would be if they sold wooden furniture and out of date intelligence. “Yes, I’d like to buy a dining set and the location of Manuel Noriega.” [/QUOTE] You’re not working hard enough at this. You see, a “[whatnot](http://www.antiquesatlas.com/antiques/Furniture/What-not.php)” is a piece of funiture, made from wood and/or other materials. That word can also refer to an item that you don’t know, can’t remember or want a generic name for (e.g., “cocaine, condoms, hookers and whatnot”). The store name is “Knot Knew” or “Knew Knot – Knew Not,” meaning the owners just couldn’t quite come of with a definite name for the store that sells furniture, some of which hold curios. Doesn’t it all make sense now? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/55 "2008-02-17T21:07:30Z")
In my home town when I was a kid we had a “Lemmen’s Used Cars.” I could never quite figure out if it was supposed to be humorous, or an example of someone needing to change their name. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/56 "2008-02-17T23:44:38Z")
There’s a place in Kissimmee called “Decent Nails.” Not “Happy Nails” (also in Kissimmee) or “Trendy Nail” (Kissimmee), but “Decent Nails.” “Eh, it’s decent. No high quality stuff, but it’s better than Shitty Nails.” ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/57 "2008-02-18T00:00:28Z")
Seattle just opened a new trolley service. It’s the _ **S** outh **L** ake **U** noin **T** rolley_ or **SLUT**. Of course, now they want to call it a Streetcar; too late! ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/58 "2008-02-18T00:42:33Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] Seattle just opened a new trolley service. It’s the _ **S** outh **L** ake **U** noin **T** rolley_ or **SLUT**. Of course, now they want to call it a Streetcar; too late! [/QUOTE] I could kinda see some potential for ad campaigns though. “We’ll take anybody, anywhere!” Something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/59 "2008-02-18T00:54:35Z")
I just have to share this: [Ride the S.L.U.T.](http://www.ridetheslutshirts.com/index2.html) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/60 "2008-02-18T01:11:39Z")
[Amigone](http://www.amigone.com/aboutus/index.php) This is funeral home near the street I grew up on. “Amigone” Am I Gone? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875.md?page=4)