← Quora archive  ·  2011 Apr 17, 2011 06:45 PM PDT

Question

What's a cool name for my new custom wood furniture shop in New York City?

Answer

I wouldn't go for "clever" here. A small specialty retail store in a custom craft domain is best named after the lead crafts person or owner. You want something that has human-like reputation and credibility. Name it after your own last name. "Lohr's Custom Furniture" or something along those lines. It immediately signals that there is a trustworthy HUMAN standing behind and for the quality and craft of what's on offer. Think of famous furniture makers like Chippendale. Named after people.

Another angle (can be used in conjunction with the previous one) is to call out a differentiating element of your craft. Is there a special technique or period style? Add it in. "Lohr's Laser Crafted Custom Furniture" for example.

Also do NOT name with SEO in mind. SEO the tagline and website all you want, but SEOed names tend to be lousy human brands. It'll be slower to build up a more human and artistic name, but you'll build a lot more solid brand equity, especially since you have physical retail going on.