This town I used to live in in Southern California had a car repair shop called Hall and Associates. Its sign said Hall’n Ass.
I happen to know some of their IT people, who for some reason (financial I assume) happen to be in Spain. Whenever someone asks “who do you work for” and they say “Rabobank” there is a moment of silence… wheels turning… and then once the subject has been carefully avoided, conversation continues.
Rabo is Spanish slang for dick.
This irritates you? I think it’s clever and amusing.
mmm
There used to be florist’s shop in the next town to mine called “Ka-BLOOM!” Dumb name.
The supermarket in my town is “Roche Brothers.” When I first moved to town, a neighbor mentioned the store to me and I thought she was saying “Roach Brothers.” Yucch.
Fractured Prune (donut shop)
Piney Orchard (development name)
GreenSky (financing)
For Sale with Owner (I don’t know if they are still around. A company that helped people sell their homes without using a real estate agent)
When I was selling my dad’s house, we came in one day and looked at the cards of all the realtors who had showed it. One of them identified the agent as “Rainy Tarpey”. Perhaps not a business name, as such, but also possibly not the name that the agent was born with.
Where I used to live ours was Schnucks. http://www.schnucks.com. Properly pronounced like “schnooks”. They were / are a perfectly fine chain of mainstream grocery stores, and that was the founder’s legit last name.
But I always thought it made them sound pretty untrustworthy.
I grew up around Schnucks, and now I shop there most weeks. And I never made that connection. ::smack::
I did make the connection to schmucks, though.
How about boat names?
I see a nice speedboat occasionally on the river named Bugsy’s Toy.
The first time I saw the boat, I waved. He just stared at me as he motored by, a rare event on the river (everyone waves). Maybe the sun was in his eyes and he didn’t see me wave. Maybe not, who cares.
Ever since then, whenever I see the boat, I say, “Fuck you, Bugsy!” Always. I’ve told a few other boaters and it’s an in-joke now. Nobody says it loud enough for him to hear, but many say it, ritually.
Fuck you, Bugsy!!!
“Shnuck” or “schnuck,” if you prefer, or even “shnook,” it doesn’t matter, is the Yiddish would for someone who’s not very successful. A sort of born loser, who is a good mark for a grifter.
That’s how the band The Roches pronounces their name. It’s a family name.
Holy cow, didn’t you ever WATCH The Sopranos? Guys in boats with names like that, or Stugotz II, or whatever… you don’t wanna piss 'em off.
I live near the location. I have a habit of hunting down obscure local thrift shops which are generally much cheaper than the Goodwill and Salvation Army branded items. The HEM in this name actually stands for Hands Extended Ministries.
Probably also refers to Jesus’ garment hem as mentioned by Ulf.
Poorly executed nomenclature.
Who needs to put this much thought in naming a store that sells used goods?
For some reason, Advance Auto Parts always rubs me the wrong way…probably because it seems like it should be Advanced Auto Parts, in my mind.
What’s the deal with all those business listings on page 1 of the White Pages?
A
A
AA
AA
AAAA
AA-AAA
AAAAAA
AAA-AAAA
It conveys no intelligible information about businesses. Instead it’s like a room of dying people groaning and gasping in their final agonies.
(Do they still do that? I haven’t even looked at a dead-tree phone book in the past two decades.)
Near where I shop (in Springfield, OH) is a Five Guys Burgers & Fries. So, does that mean the company was started by five guys? So clever! :rolleyes: Suffice to say, I’ve never been there.
Other company names I hate:
Aldi. It just sounds pretentious.
Quiznos. Sounds like a board game or puzzle toy. At least “Subway” makes sense.
Bed Bath & Beyond. There’s a comedian who does a bit on BB&B. Forget his name, but he was spot on.
There’s a BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in Beavercreek, OH. Hey, I like a BJ just as much as the next guy, but come on…
There’s a Hair Salon in New Carlisle, OH called Born To Be Styled. Cute, but ugh.
They’re just attempting to be the first entry in the book.
Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell; Jerry and the couple’s sons, Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben, were the original “Five Guys.” They make a good burger. It’s not the greatest burger EVAR that some may tell you it is, but it’s definitely a notch or two above most other similar places. And they are extremely generous, to a fault IMO, with the fries.
Kumho tires. Yes, I know it is supposed to be pronounced with a long “U” sound. I don’t. Ever.
Ha. Aldi is the opposite of pretentious. They’re SUPER cheap. It’s all their own house brand, which is good quality. You should check it out.
I went into Subway once. Sat there for 2 hours. Not a single train went by! 