Last weekend, my partner and I packed up the car and headed due south. Straight out of British Columbia and across Washington state to Portland, Oregon.
We found a ton of whimsical innovation packed into a small geographic area. Utopia. Restaurants tumbling out onto the sidewalks, Buenos Aires-style. Artisanal everything, from jewellery to jelly. A smooth transit system and surprisingly few cars on the roads. Tattoos for everyone!
There’s something young and energetic about Portland, something ceaselessly creative. And even now I remember the stories Portland told me — often in just a few words.
Here are five memorable business stories from the city that works.
1. Peach Slap.
A beer. More precisely, a Belgian ale from the local Deschutes brewery, made with peach puree, juniper berries, pink peppercorn and a pinch of Habaneros. Somewhat sweet, as peaches are, but ending with a kick. Or a slap, if you will.
Iain and I tasted a lot of beer in Portland (Iain especially). We spent a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Fruit Beer Festival, sizzling like eggs in a paved parking lot where we worked our way through numerous drink tickets and an extensive tasting menu. We also visited a few different breweries (which were also restaurants), where Iain ordered tasters to sample a range of brew offerings at once. I’d say we tried around 25 different kinds.
Many were delicious, and even memorable. But Peach Slap was the beer we found ourselves mentioning when we got back to Vancouver.
It wasn’t even the best beer we had! But Peach Slap is a simple, clever name. It tells a story. It makes it impossible NOT to remember both the name and the way the beer tasted. No complicated words or silly wordplay. Nothing difficult to pronounce. A clear, impactful combination of words we already know and won’t forget.
2. Give & Take.
There’s some great shopping in Portland, especially if you’re into vintage or…bird and bicycle iconography. The store I remember the best was a consignment shop called Give & Take on in North Portland, near the room we rented through Airbnb. They had a wooden sign out on the sidewalk, and an incredible range of affordable clothing, furniture, kitchen supplies, decorative stuff, you name it. We bought some really cute coasters.
To risk pointing out the obvious…Give & Take plays on an old idiom that suggests you have to be flexible and accommodating to make others happy while also getting what you want. In this context, “give and take” also describes the day-to-day operations of the shop.
It’s clearly very well stocked, with people regularly dropping off items to sell—someone asked about drop-off hours while we were paying, in fact. That explains the awesome selection, and the store’s superb energy (and prices!). It’s a bit like a trading post. The name tells a clear and memorable story that’s easy to re-tell.
3. Doug Fir Lounge.
It sounds like the bar is named after a man named Doug, when of course it is actually named after the majestic fir trees that surround the city of Portland. This makes the great outdoors a character in the city, and even the city’s nightlife. Clever. Even kind of adorable.
We didn’t go to the lounge so I can’t speak to the actual experience of the place, but I understand that the decor follows the theme. Regardless, I remember the name and wish I’d gone, so that’s saying something.
4. Voodoo Doughnut.
All right, a disclaimer here: I’m not convinced by this name from a cultural sensitivity perspective. Voodoo is an actual religion and I have no idea how those who practice it would or do feel about the use of the word in this doughnut shop’s name. But regardless, it’s powerful and effective, as evidenced by the MASSIVE lineup of people waiting to get into the shop. I’ve never seen folks so excited about doughnuts (and I’m Canadian! And by the way, it’s “donut” here).
When we saw people eating these sweets outside, our jaws dropped. Not only where they twice the size of regular doughnuts, they were drenched in outrageous toppings like fruit loops and bacon. Yeah. Scary, right?
The voodoo theme is carried through all of the shop’s marketing, including the sign (chocolate voodoo doll) and the website (voodoo magic listed in the food allergies warning, after tree nuts). It’s cohesive. I remember it.
5. The city that works.
Okay, so this isn’t a name, but the city’s slogan. But I LOVE it and had to include it here.
The first time I saw this on a city vehicle, I actually laughed. First of all, from the outside it appeared to be true—every city has its problems, but on the whole Portland seemed clean and efficient, with a well-loved transit system. The streets actually felt a bit empty, and I kept asking Iain where all the cars were (I think it’s ride your bike to work week every week!). But the tagline is also a subtle dig at all the cities that DON’T work. And that is pretty damn clever.
Some cities don’t work. Their public transit systems are clogged and outdated, with revitalization and improvement plans constantly stalling or changing. City councillors bicker incessantly. Mayors smoke crack and lie about it. You know, general brokenness. Portland seems to be doing better, and their slogan helps me remember that.
The take away — you can summarize your business story in just a few words!
Literal, descriptive business names (and taglines) are fine. But if your name can possibly tell a story—or hint at one—without getting too complicated, you have a much better chance of being remembered. And that means repeat business, and word-of-mouth referrals.
I’d love to hear about an awesome or effective business name you’ve encountered recently. Tell me about it in the comments below!