# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/81 "2008-02-18T20:52:12Z")
Back when it was known as a red-light district (could still be, a bit, for all I know,) there was a sleazy-looking hotel south of the airport in Sarasota on US 41 which advertised “Low Rates” It was the only thing on their letter-changable billboard. But they never changed the letters for years. Even when the “e” fell off and they were advertising “Low rat s”, which seemed appropriate at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/82 "2008-02-18T20:55:29Z")
Saw one over the weekend. Somewhere near Lake Sunapee, NH, there’s a **Live Wire Day Care**. I’m sorry, but there’s just no good way to spin that. ---
**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/83 "2008-02-18T21:00:55Z")
Here in Amarillo there is a dry cleaning chain called Douche Cleaners. May I suggest that you don’t try a google search to find them? ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/84 "2008-02-19T01:09:07Z")
This one tickles me: Badcock & More > **[Badcock Home Furniture &more](https://www.badcock.com/)** > > Your home page description ---
**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 19, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/85 "2008-02-19T01:19:35Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] - For the non-USA-ians on the SDMB, Lane Bryant and Dress Barn Woman are stores catering to “women of size”, to be politically correct. [/QUOTE] Someone actually named a store for larger women _“Dress Barn Woman”?!!_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/86 "2008-02-19T01:56:37Z")
Karson Kartage and Konstruction. That name always gets a big :dubious: from me. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/87 "2008-02-19T02:59:04Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz] This one tickles me: Badcock & More [http://www.badcock.com/](http://www.badcock.com/) [/QUOTE] “Badcock will treat you right!” Classic. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/88 "2008-02-19T03:00:25Z")
Today I went through one of Vancouver’s low-rent districts and passed [Wet Wizard Used Books](http://www.wetwizardbooks.com/7101.html). I don’t know if this is a _bad_ business name, but “wet” isn’t a quality I want to think of when I’m in the market for used books. I’m not sure if there’s an explanation for the store name, but I think it _might_ be a super-obscure literary reference. In Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea’s _Illuminatus!_ trilogy, a classic bit of graffiti gets mixed up with a J.R.R. Tolkien quote, thusly: > [@](#): > > Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards; it makes them soggy and hard to light. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/89 "2008-02-19T03:20:10Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Someone actually named a store for larger women _“Dress Barn Woman”?!!_ :eek: [/QUOTE] [A picture](http://thegreatsmokeymountainsparkway.com/_shoppi/pf/dress_barn_woman_belz2_pigeon_forge_tn.jpg). Dress Barn is the parent chain, Dress Barn Woman is the plus-size format. ---
**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 19, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/90 "2008-02-19T03:43:59Z")
[QUOTE=Bambi Hassenpfeffer] [A picture](http://thegreatsmokeymountainsparkway.com/_shoppi/pf/dress_barn_woman_belz2_pigeon_forge_tn.jpg). Dress Barn is the parent chain, Dress Barn Woman is the plus-size format. [/QUOTE] Well, it makes me think, “This woman is barn-sized! Let’s dress her!” ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/91 "2008-02-19T03:48:33Z")
If you want to go the sign route, my friends once took the “G” from the Burger King sign. No, not from “Burger King”, but the marquee that read: “Try our new cheesy bacon angus!” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/92 "2008-02-19T04:20:08Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz] This one tickles me: Badcock & More [http://www.badcock.com/](http://www.badcock.com/) [/QUOTE] At least it’s not Badcock 'n More. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/93 "2008-02-19T04:21:29Z")
[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] In Brockton, MA they have a bus service for elderly people. It’s called Brockton Assisted Transportation. But I guess that would be too long to put on the buses, so they all have B.A.T. written in huge letters along both sides. I don’t think they thought that one through… or maybe they _did_ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/94 "2008-02-19T04:22:48Z")
[QUOTE=ZebraShaSha] If you want to go the sign route, my friends once took the “G” from the Burger King sign. No, not from “Burger King”, but the marquee that read: “Try our new cheesy bacon angus!” [/QUOTE] Early one morning back in Texas, a group of drunken folks of my acquaintance once removed some the marquee letters on a Dairy Queen sign that read “country basket,” changing it to “cunt basket.” It was afternoon of the next day before staff in the place took notice of it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/95 "2008-02-19T05:08:23Z")
[QUOTE=Tikki] My sister recently moved to Tacoma near an Italian restaurant called Il Fiasco. I so want to eat there one of these days! [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=AskNott] It’s the bottle in Italian. According to Tom & Ray Magliozzi (Car Talk), it came to mean failure because Italian art glass blowers, when a piece didn’t quite work out, would call the piece a bottle (il fiasco,) and they’d sell it cheaply. Flask comes from the same root. [/QUOTE] Hey, that’s interesting. Thanks for fighting my ignorance! Hooray for the Tappet Bros. too! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/96 "2008-02-19T06:45:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] a sleazy-looking hotel south of the airport in Sarasota on US 41 which advertised “Low Rates” [/QUOTE] Not too far from me is a motel that has its name on a sign visible only to northbound traffic. Approaching from the southbound side of the highway it appears to be called the **Turn Right Over Bridge Motel**. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/97 "2008-02-19T14:33:37Z")
We also have the FUTURE HAIR TRAINING CENTRE. I’ve been waiting for that place to open for almost ten years now. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/98 "2008-02-19T17:34:21Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] The first time I saw it here in Panama, the **Dago Restaurant** made me do a bit of a double take. Of course, Dago is a nickname for Diego, and I guess the owner was unaware of the meaning for English speakers. [/QUOTE] 😕 What’s the meaning for English speakers? ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/99 "2008-02-19T17:35:58Z")
[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] There’s a local car dealership called OK Used Cars. I can’t imagine who buys cars there. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875/100 "2008-02-19T17:36:47Z")
[QUOTE=Licentious Ectomorph] 😕 What’s the meaning for English speakers? [/QUOTE] It’s a derogatory term for Italians. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-business-names/437875.md?page=6)