local businesses with horribly formed "names"

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"dog barfs" (mobile dog hydrobaths service)
"rug rage" (floor covering specialists)
"final pest solutions" (pest control)
"ashmore exhaust no muff too tuff" (car wholesaling and motor vehicle parts manufacturing)

also there is a florist which has "GIVE HER ONE TONIGHT" in huge letters on the side of the building
and a plumber's van with "I'LL FIND YOUR WET SPOT" painted on it

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:23 (thirteen years ago)

from my hometown:
"24 Hour Custom Slaughter"

Did you drop some flug in my cup? (Abbbottt), Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:25 (thirteen years ago)

there used to be a shabby mexican restaurant called 'la cucaracha' but it is gone now
and an old motel called 'casablanca' that was painted pink

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:26 (thirteen years ago)

what is custom slaughter?

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:27 (thirteen years ago)

It was a place that would come cut up your livestock.

Did you drop some flug in my cup? (Abbbottt), Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:28 (thirteen years ago)

"La Cucaracha" reminds me of the Boise restaurant "The El Gringo," which advertised itself as "home of the six foot burrito."

Did you drop some flug in my cup? (Abbbottt), Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:29 (thirteen years ago)

The Framing Dragon

mick signals, Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:31 (thirteen years ago)

someone should set up a worldwide chain of creative advice bureaus for people who think things sound catchy.

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:48 (thirteen years ago)

Cutting Remarks - a hairdresser, presumably one who gives you insult-worthy haircuts

Nails That Are Noticeable

Not only dermatologists hate her (James Morrison), Thursday, 29 March 2012 03:55 (thirteen years ago)

there is a gas station near our house, located on cutting blvd, called CUTTING GAS.

just1n3, Thursday, 29 March 2012 04:04 (thirteen years ago)

In Bremerton, Washington there is (was) a dog grooming place called Doggy Style

neutral sequence for flute (blank), Thursday, 29 March 2012 04:07 (thirteen years ago)

I guess that's pretty well formed, just in somewhat poor taste

neutral sequence for flute (blank), Thursday, 29 March 2012 04:08 (thirteen years ago)

In my town some bright bulb chose to open an asian fusion cuisine restaurant, naming it: fuAsian. <-- no joke.

Aimless, Thursday, 29 March 2012 04:15 (thirteen years ago)

The Framing Dragon

please tell me this is run by framers of Chinese descent

┗|∵|┓ (sic), Thursday, 29 March 2012 05:06 (thirteen years ago)

fuAsian is just plain hopeless.

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:09 (thirteen years ago)

There is a shop specialising in Indian confectionary here in Glasgow called "Decent Sweets". Ironically their sweets are actually delicious.

brain (krakow), Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:13 (thirteen years ago)

i admire their modesty.

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:19 (thirteen years ago)

Absolutely! It always makes me smile. In Glasgow "Nae Bad Sweets" would have been even better though.

brain (krakow), Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:22 (thirteen years ago)

http://cdn.randomfunnypicture.com/pictures/1771bad-restaurant-name-15.jpg

pagan diskow (Crackle Box), Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:22 (thirteen years ago)

The drive-thru bottle shop at the Dick Whittington tavern down the road is called DICK LIQUOR

zooey bechamel (Trayce), Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:25 (thirteen years ago)

JIZZ FASHION

jabba hands, Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:27 (thirteen years ago)

there's also Lick Her Store on oxford st in sydney

jabba hands, Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:29 (thirteen years ago)

There was also a Big Duck n Fish company store in Malvern - it made big plates/ceramics.

zooey bechamel (Trayce), Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:32 (thirteen years ago)

electricsound posted this the other day on another thread:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2444755092_9296a89496.jpg

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:33 (thirteen years ago)

There was a pub here that they did a horrible job of updating and unfortunately they renamed it Fubar

Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:35 (thirteen years ago)

Hahahahah estela :D

zooey bechamel (Trayce), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:01 (thirteen years ago)

This is my favorite named shop ever though some might think it horrible (THEY WOULD BE WRONG). In London by Waterloo station:

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/restaurants/images/040129_fishcotheque.jpg

wolf kabob (ENBB), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:06 (thirteen years ago)

The Jazz Butcher agrees...

http://flashback.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/f/lfb20934.jpg

Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:11 (thirteen years ago)

http://www.hifi-writer.com/blog/graphics/sneeds.jpg

jpattzlovevampz 2 hours ago (Phil D.), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:11 (thirteen years ago)

i just had a pang that maybe this thread should be deindexed because some of these businesses are quite small and probably run by perfectly fine hardworking people who might end up glum when they google their businesses hoping to find good reviews from the public. so if a mod reads this can you please do that?

meanwhile, "the groper and his misses" is a terrible name for a fish and chip shop.

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:36 (thirteen years ago)

OMG Taco

they have a "WTF Menu" where the "WTF" stands for "Wow, That's Fresh"

Oat Drink (crüt), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:45 (thirteen years ago)

i-cream (an ice cream shop)

tanuki, Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:51 (thirteen years ago)

I've always thought that a little more thought should've been put into the name of Raper RV. Yes, I understand that it's your last name, but still.

Calvin Coolranch (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 29 March 2012 11:56 (thirteen years ago)

'Fishcoteque' always makes me smile when I cycle past, there's that taxidermy place around Angel called 'Get Stuffed'

pagan diskow (Crackle Box), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:06 (thirteen years ago)

There's a builder's van I see in Exeter occasionally which has the legend "For a big erection, call 01392 [etc]". sadly I think the 'company' name is just his name appended with 'builder'.

There used to be a kebab shop in Leeds called Kebabylon, iirc.

Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:06 (thirteen years ago)

In Northern Finland there is a swamp area whose name is "Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä"; it comes from the Sami language spoken by the indigenous people of the area. In the neighbouring town, someone thought it would be a funny idea to name a bar (which has since closed) after the swamp:

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiedosto:Ateritsiputeritsipuolilautatsibaari.jpg

According to Wikipedia, they didn't answer with the phone with the full name of the bar, just "Äteritsi bar".

Tuomas, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:15 (thirteen years ago)

Sorry, the pic didn't work in the previous post:

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiedosto:Ateritsiputeritsipuolilautatsibaari.jpg

Tuomas, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:16 (thirteen years ago)

Eh, looks like Wikipedia doesn't support hotlinking anymore.

Tuomas, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:16 (thirteen years ago)

Hopefully this one works:

http://www.veikkovasama.net/blogikuvat/baarin_nimi.jpg

Tuomas, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:17 (thirteen years ago)

in stokey
http://noisydecentgraphics.typepad.com/design/images/2008/01/31/dsc00125.jpg

Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:18 (thirteen years ago)

haha

estela, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:20 (thirteen years ago)

http://images.travelpod.com/users/emmab/italy.1206088380.big_tits_restaurantx_tampere.jpg

Here's another Finnish restaurant, though I guess it's more "painfully honest" than "horribly formed".

Tuomas, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:22 (thirteen years ago)

it comes from the Sami language spoken by the indigenous people of the area

Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:24 (thirteen years ago)

I've always thought that a little more thought should've been put into the name of Raper RV.

I spent two years living in Missouri as a kid, was inundated with Tom Raper RV commercials ALL THE TIME.

jpattzlovevampz 2 hours ago (Phil D.), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:24 (thirteen years ago)

there is one of those quasi-apple store reseller places near me named St0rmfr0nt which bugs the shit out of me. Would you open a store without googling the name to see if, oh I dunno, if might have some bad connotations first?

Thoughts? You must have loads. (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:30 (thirteen years ago)

Maybe they only sell white Power Macs?

Valéry Giscard d'Staind (NickB), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:32 (thirteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxoD_1I6S_A

this is about a shop on the other side of town although the company seems to be based in Shropshire and has a number of outlets in the UK

Cantera: Vulgar Display Of Puyol (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:33 (thirteen years ago)

Lol at sellfridges. Crackle box - fishcoteque always made me smile too.

wolf kabob (ENBB), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:37 (thirteen years ago)

There's a textiles shop in town called 'Basket of Threads'. Before that, it was 'The Sewing Machine Box'. Ouch.

Scary Move 4 (dog latin), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:38 (thirteen years ago)

really grim chip shop called "fish plaice", looking at the pun on the shopfront is like seeing the ghost of a child in a dying old man's angry gnarled face.

I'm going to allow this! (LocalGarda), Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:50 (thirteen years ago)

(yes I'm aware Cook is the county)

a very very unfair (Neanderthal), Thursday, 9 November 2023 15:59 (one year ago)

I don't have a real-world example at hand, but I hate it when people can't come up with a company name and instead just cram the first few letters of the 2 founder's names together:

Davric Plumbing Supply
Robmar Consultants

Hideous Lump, Friday, 10 November 2023 01:06 (one year ago)

https://www.its-behind-you.com/images/10Dartford_large.jpg

The First Time Ever I Saw Gervais (Tom D.), Friday, 10 November 2023 07:34 (one year ago)

Desilu Productions (/ˈdɛsiluː/) was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.

visiting, Friday, 10 November 2023 08:09 (one year ago)

Davlav combines the name and the business.

koogs, Friday, 10 November 2023 09:00 (one year ago)

And out of the recesses of my M*A*S*H-ed mind floats the answer to what "B.J." stands for in B.J. Hunnicut.

Hideous Lump, Friday, 10 November 2023 11:47 (one year ago)

Pieseas Chippy, Harwich.

Tim, Saturday, 11 November 2023 09:58 (one year ago)

If we can extend the thread concept to podcasts, I just learnt that right wing journo Katy Balls has a podcast named Women with Balls

Zelda Zonk, Saturday, 11 November 2023 23:55 (one year ago)

Not local to me, but:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tr723ZTDJYs/maxresdefault.jpg

Tsar Bombadil (James Morrison), Thursday, 23 November 2023 22:26 (one year ago)

Barber Streisand is bad.

plax (ico), Thursday, 23 November 2023 22:55 (one year ago)

Book Pasaage is actually kind of clever as these things go

deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Friday, 24 November 2023 00:43 (one year ago)

idgi

budo jeru, Friday, 24 November 2023 16:08 (one year ago)

Ditto.

How old Cary Grant? (Tom D.), Friday, 24 November 2023 16:09 (one year ago)

like you are going to "book passage" on a ship, but also a book is something you read that has passages in it?

budo jeru, Friday, 24 November 2023 16:11 (one year ago)

I don't have a real-world example at hand, but I hate it when people can't come up with a company name and instead just cram the first few letters of the 2 founder's names together:

looking at the local area on google maps recently i came across (googleproofing it) 'Naz-1sh alterations', guess what I read it as :/

organ doner (ledge), Friday, 24 November 2023 16:35 (one year ago)

xp my immediate thought was "back passage".

Kim Kimberly, Friday, 24 November 2023 16:52 (one year ago)

Yeah, back passage = arsehole

Tsar Bombadil (James Morrison), Sunday, 26 November 2023 20:54 (one year ago)

there's no way that that's what the bookstore was thinking

budo jeru, Monday, 27 November 2023 02:08 (one year ago)

well, on re-reading the thread title, maybe the contention is that the bookstore is unaware of the connotation, but i don't really think "book" sounds anything like "back" or that the name of the store brings to mind an anus

budo jeru, Monday, 27 November 2023 02:11 (one year ago)

you don't think it sounds *anything* like back?

plax (ico), Monday, 27 November 2023 11:57 (one year ago)

Not enough to work as a pun, I think that's down to the vowel lengths being different.

How old Cary Grant? (Tom D.), Monday, 27 November 2023 12:05 (one year ago)

Yeah I'm pretty mystified by "Book Passage". I'd grant it as an arse pun, though I agree the vowel isn't quite right here (maybe depends on your accent?).

My first thought was "book passage" on a ship - it's pretty antiquated language (would feel a bit arch saying I "booked a passage" on the ferry to France). Not sure what they'd be going for there. Having said that, "back passage" for anus is pretty dated too - it's a bit Carry On.

If it was like a really narrow bookshop ... like a passage between shelves? But it looks like a big modern building.

Perplexing.

JifMoose, Monday, 27 November 2023 12:19 (one year ago)

To make up, here's a classic that I don't think's been mentioned yet (in no way local to me, but I did once drive past it)
https://live.staticflickr.com/97/246596908_7c0d89c705_b.jpg
(yeah it was challenge trying to search for this)

JifMoose, Monday, 27 November 2023 12:28 (one year ago)

According to their website, "Book Passage" was originally the name of their mail order division before being adopted for the whole company. So "passage of books" seems to have been the intent.

Kim Kimberly, Monday, 27 November 2023 17:13 (one year ago)

I am firm that it is a non-filthy double entendre meaning "book passage" on a ship, and a "passage" from a book.

deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 27 November 2023 17:59 (one year ago)

two months pass...

not exactly local but "Duke Cannon" always brings to mind someone launching dog turds at people

never trust a big book and a simile (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 6 February 2024 18:35 (one year ago)

Yeah, they sell that stuff at my local Ace Hardware and it just makes me think of poop shooting out of a butt, so no thanks.

peace, man, Wednesday, 7 February 2024 12:59 (one year ago)

one month passes...

http://hipsterbusiness.name

budo jeru, Friday, 22 March 2024 00:45 (one year ago)

two months pass...

local junk removal service: "Annie Haul"

Kate (rushomancy), Monday, 17 June 2024 18:21 (one year ago)

that's awesome

budo jeru, Monday, 17 June 2024 23:31 (one year ago)

https://www.hungryones.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/jus.fishy_.2792-1024x671.jpg

Josefa, Wednesday, 19 June 2024 14:15 (one year ago)

not the name of a business but a local crab shack has a sign on their building that reads “WHAT A LOAD OF CRAB!!” and every time i pass it i giggle uncontrollably

butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Thursday, 20 June 2024 00:36 (one year ago)

Changed from 'The Curry Smuggler' to 'Vlogs of Hyderabad' (?) Currently closed again for retooling

http://www.vlogsofhyderabad.com.au/victoria/

Bellend Sebastian (S-), Wednesday, 3 July 2024 05:47 (one year ago)

From that website

In contrast to other Indian eateries, Vlogs of Hyderabad was made with the explicit expectation to appear as something else.

Bellend Sebastian (S-), Wednesday, 3 July 2024 05:47 (one year ago)

LOL

budo jeru, Wednesday, 3 July 2024 18:02 (one year ago)

one month passes...

“Horribly formed” is probably unfair but these tree surgeons made me smile: https://www.rootsmanoeuvred.org

Tim, Wednesday, 28 August 2024 11:23 (one year ago)

1100 posts and no mention of Ruth’s Chris Steak House!

dentist looking too comfortable singing the blues (hardcore dilettante), Wednesday, 28 August 2024 11:51 (one year ago)

that’s not a local business, it’s a chain?

butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Saturday, 31 August 2024 11:46 (one year ago)

^

budo jeru, Saturday, 31 August 2024 13:42 (one year ago)

nine months pass...

i've been wondering if this place has any regrets in recent months

https://i.imgur.com/SrBJolo.png

budo jeru, Thursday, 5 June 2025 15:16 (four months ago)

"very pizza"

Neanderthal, Thursday, 5 June 2025 15:38 (four months ago)

three weeks pass...

Bake Me Home Cookie Road

Lulu and Stormzy live back to back (ledge), Tuesday, 1 July 2025 07:41 (three months ago)

https://i.ibb.co/YFK4thw5/IMG-9418.jpg

Reggaeton Sax (NickB), Tuesday, 1 July 2025 08:07 (three months ago)

Potatoast in Worthing in case that doesn't show up

Reggaeton Sax (NickB), Tuesday, 1 July 2025 08:07 (three months ago)

also this legendary place in Portslade...

https://i.ibb.co/wZdhDxJn/fishtucky.jpg

Reggaeton Sax (NickB), Tuesday, 1 July 2025 08:11 (three months ago)

There’s a hardware store near us called Be In Queue DIY, which I think of as a close cousin to the white goods shop not far away called Sell Fridges.

Tim, Tuesday, 1 July 2025 08:30 (three months ago)

lol that's great
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKi6ETiXIAANsNu.jpg

Kim Kimberly, Tuesday, 1 July 2025 14:27 (three months ago)

three weeks pass...

Huff Septic

Black Sabaoth (Boring, Maryland), Friday, 25 July 2025 16:04 (three months ago)

three months pass...

It's Bagel

Bellend Sebastian (S-), Wednesday, 29 October 2025 03:08 (two days ago)

There's a little gallery in my town called "Denouement Fine Art" that I always wonder if it's a self-deprecating reference to probably being someone's retirement vanity project.

longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Friday, 31 October 2025 02:37 (thirteen hours ago)


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