What's Your Name Again? How to Name Your Online Store

It's got to be cool, unique — but not too weird — pleasing to the ear, with a certain memorable je ne c'est quoi. Man, forget naming a kid, naming your shop is hard! There are various approaches: some tie their business to their own name, some focus on the type and style of product they're selling, while others go with a catchy word that has nothing to do with them or their product.

How do other people do it? What are the pros and cons of each approach?

Well, I asked 'em, and they'll tell you.

KERFLOP

Jessica, of the blog Balancing Everything, runs two shops: Very Baby, which sells cloth diaper supplies, and Kerflop, where she sells hand-sewn items. She thought long and hard about names that could grow and evolve as her business did:

"I tend to reinvent my online presence every 12 months or so.  I grow tired of whatever it is I'm doing, whatever it is I'm talking about and start ripping things out and drawing new logos and designing new websites.  I really wanted to find a domain name that could stand up to all those changes, that wouldn't seem irrelevant if I suddenly went from selling baby blankets to refurbished external hard drives.  I sat in front of a domain registrar and punched in every ridiculous, meaningless name I could think of.  I couldn't believe how many nonsense words were already taken. I finally landed on kerflop and snatched it right up just knowing it would be the kind of domain name I could throw anything at. I love it because it doesn't matter what I make - potholders, camera straps, baby pants, or whatever. The label looks good on whatever I sew and all it means is that I made it."

And how did she find the perfect, flexible name for her other business?

"My husband named our diaper fabric company Very Baby.  I had taken to calling my then baby (now strapping 8 year old), Very.  I'd say, "I call him Very, because he is Very Handsome."  Or Very Sweet, or Very Naughty.  Whatever.  So when he came up with Very Baby we both loved it.

As far as how our names have impacted our businesses, I think they're both easy to remember and easy to spell which means word of mouth customers can usually find us without trouble.  We also like how Very Baby is expandable.  We also own Very Mom and Very Dad as well as Very Designs... it feels like an easily brand-able word we could use to branch out if we had the time/energy to do so."

Quirky but with room to grow: now that's planning ahead.

SUBU ROSE

Handmade journals and paper products form the basis of Emily's shop, Subu Rose. She describes the difficult naming process on a page dedicated to the discovery:

"The most difficult part about getting my business up and running was coming up with a name. It had to be just right to compliment my crafts but not too specific to limit me. After countless lists, pow-wows, and hours spent figuring out what to use, inspiration hit. Why not name this after the most important thing in my life: my family. Subu was the nickname my father called his mother. Rose, along with being my favorite flower, is the name of my mother’s mother. Perfect."

And so a shop name was born. It's both personal and memorable, two excellent qualities to consider when naming your shop. 

"As for the way it has impacted my business, it is most definitely unique. I have quite a few people every show talk to me about what the name means, and after hearing the story, they become more interested in the business. I also feel like my branding is also something that stays with people; it's instantly recognizable. I have been told on numerous occasions that people recognize my shop name and logo from browsing on sites like Etsy or Twitter."

Personal and memorable pays off.

Perhaps you're interested in going in another direction when naming your shop — instead of creating a name or finding one, why not use your own?

PRIDDY CREATIONS CUSTOM DESIGNS

Amy Priddy has run Priddy Creations Custom Designs from her home since 2002, creating custom bags and camera accessories. Careful planning in the early stages of her business has enabled her shop name to stay consistent as her products and skills changed.

"I really wanted something I could hold on to no matter what I did.  Tastes, trends, skills and directions often change within a business.  So I wanted something that I would not outgrow as my business changed and grew.  It was also important to me to have a name that was personal and pertained only to me.  My last name is Priddy (pronounced Pretty) and Priddy Creations Custom Designs just seemed the most obvious choice.  Personal but also simple and to the point.

When I first started my business, I was doing custom children's and women's jewelry.  After about 4-5 years of that, I traded in my beads for fabric and a sewing machine.  While I was still creating handmade items, I completely switched gears as my interests, goals and skills shifted.  Priddy Creations Custom Designs has been a name that has grown with me as my business has taken me down a different road.  But it is one that has been around for a while and one that people know.  I truly believe that picking the right name plays a big part in your business' success.  And consistency also plays a big part.  I had had customers contact me years after their initial purchase.  While email addresses and website URLs might change, a quick search in Google will get them to me."

GENEVIEVE GAIL

Another creative entrepreneur, Genevieve Gail saw the value in using her own name and maintaining consistency among her business endeavors; in addition to her eponymous Etsy shop, Genevieve also designs quilting-weight fabric for Windham Fabrics.

"I basically decided to use my actual name as my Etsy shop name because I knew I wanted to venture out into multiple fields and those projects (such as my fabric collections) would have "Genevieve Gail" on them.  I think it's important when it comes to branding to keep things cohesive whether it be a made up name or the name you were born with.  If someone were to do an online search for "Genevieve Gail" then they would be able to find my Etsy shop, my blog, my Flickr, and my fabrics all at once which I find is helpful for my business.  Someone searching for my jewelry can find out about my fabric, or someone searching for my fabric can find out about my blog and upcoming projects..."

She does, however, add a caveat:

"My only hesitation using my actual name for my business at the beginning was that it's hard to spell and hard to pronounce for some people.  I tend to get called Geneva, Guinnevere, Gen-a-va-va (true story!), so I do worry sometimes that people won't be able to find my work.  If you are on Etsy looking for a seller and don't type the shop name 100% accurately they will tell you that there are no results.  I do wish Etsy would change their search engine and show similar search results in case of misspellings.  That is where I think a made up shop name that is easy to remember and easy to spell can be really beneficial for your business."

So there we have it: whether you're looking for quirky, inventive, or as traditional as your own name, just keep these four tenets in mind: flexibility, consistency, simplicity — and Google. Happy naming!

Mary Beth Eastman is a contributor for TrueUp, writes about sewing and life at Supafine, and sells sustainable and handmade objects for grownups, tots and home at Supafab.