Jim Bremer actually had a logo before he had a name for the Tall Mouse crafts store he started in Fullerton, Calif., in 1966. That seemed inhumane, so some friends and I at a New Year's Eve party talked about building a better mouse instead. A cartoonist who was there started drawing versions of a better mouse. The downside is no one knows what it means. Branding is tougher for an independent retailer.
Some business owners work hard to find a catchy name that has some kind of descriptive tie-in.
Kathy Mercurio flirted with Balboa Buds and Fleur du Jour for her Newport Beach, Calif., flower shop before settling on Merci Bouquet, which she saw in a greeting card. People call and talk French.