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Calling all photographers: it’s time for another mental_floss photo challenge! We got so many great entries for the first challenge, and we’re hoping to get even more this time around. A few weeks ago I did a post on “Ill-Advised Business Names,” and comments poured in about funky business names and signs people have seen in their own towns or while traveling. So I know those strange treasures are out there — now all you’ve got to do is grab a camera and go scoop ‘em up!
Send your pictures to us at flossypics@gmail.com and put “weird business names” as the subject line. Get them to us by Saturday and we’ll post ‘em on Monday! Can’t wait to see what you all come up with.
Also, the floss now has an official Flickr page, so in addition to posting them here in the blog, we’ll post the entries in photosets on Flickr.
Comments (13)
Comment
Darn - I missed this topic the last time around, so I’m going to add a few here.
1. I drove past a church once and the sign was missing one letter, making it “aint Luke’s Church”
2. For a long time, in Brick NJ, there was a tiny little store called “George’s Bait, Tackle & Music”. I never went in but I always wondered what kind of music they had.
saving the best for last -
3. In Tuckahoe, NJ, there is a “Tuckahoe Inn”
posted by caitlen315 on 2-12-2008 at 11:39 am
YOU’LL-Advised Business Names???
Come on, Ransom! I know you can do better than that! ;)
posted by Steve S on 2-12-2008 at 11:58 am
Steve -
Oops! How embarrassing. My first typo in months! :)
posted by Ransom on 2-12-2008 at 1:29 pm
:( Won’t be able to contribute this time…all business’ names around here are in Portuguese…not fair… >:op
posted by Insolent Minx on 2-12-2008 at 1:53 pm
My favorite was a restraunt called “Pu Ping Thai”, a now defunct Thai restaurant that was in Bothell, WA.
posted by rexology on 2-12-2008 at 4:02 pm
One of my all-time favourites is in Baton Rouge, LA, on Jefferson Hwy. It’s the Murphy Law Firm.
posted by Stacy on 2-13-2008 at 1:13 am
I’ve also had a number of State Farm Insurance agents with unfortunate names (or just entertaining, depending on how you look at it). A couple of my favourite agents were Freddie Kreuger in Southern California, and Steve Martin, in Germantown, MD.
posted by Stacy on 2-13-2008 at 1:14 am
I don’t have a pic as the name was changed, but The Smack Bar did make it to National Lampoon’s real photos section. It is a snck shack which is now called B.J.’s.
posted by gus on 2-13-2008 at 2:28 pm
Although I do not have a picture, I have fond memories of the Pump N Munch in MN. A google search will bring up some pics. Also a good website for strange business names is www.interestingideas.com/roadside/names/names.htm
posted by Steve on 2-13-2008 at 2:30 pm
I wish I could take a picture of this one, but I’ll just share it instead cuz it is too far.
In a little town, Little Canada MN, there is a buffet called FU XING China buffet. You can imagine how it is pronounced.
posted by Heather A on 2-14-2008 at 8:19 pm
Steve-I’ve been to the pump n munch. It is so funny we used to go out of the way to go there.
posted by Heather A on 2-14-2008 at 8:22 pm
The name’s been changed now, but for years, there was a teriyaki place in my hometown called “Jesus is Lord Teriyaki.”
I wish I had a picture–it was highly amusing.
posted by Caitlin on 2-14-2008 at 10:38 pm
I live in Seoul, South Korea.
A common hotel name here is “시티” Hotel.
It is “supposed” to read “City Hotel” But in Korean, it is actually pronounced “S*itty Hotel”
posted by Austin on 2-19-2008 at 3:35 am