Seven Word Acronym?

Here in Minnesota, for the last 20 years now, stands an incredible store that was really a pioneer in the now popular “Green” movement formerly known as the PPL SHOP. I always thought PPL was shorthand for people, so the name to me was very matter-of-fact, like hey, people shop. Others apparently knew that the PPL was an acronym for Project for Pride in Living? But to go even further, SHOP was also short for Surplus Home and Office Products.

So the name used to be, Project for Pride in Living, Surplus Home and Office Supply.

Hope you took a big breath before trying to say that!

Which is probably why they went by PPL SHOP, which 20 years after anybody remembered what it stood for started meaning less and less.

Next step; Rebranding!

What did they go with?

Furnish | Office and Home.

Much better.

You can read the article on the StarTribune here: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/88846222.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU

Now I love this store, I’ve shopped there myself. They do a great job of supplying small company’s with affordable office furniture, they have helped savvy shoppers furnish homes for years in a very earth friendly way, plus they help the community through their charity supporting on-the-job training programs that helps low-income individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency.

But I had to give them some tough love in this post, not to critique, but to point out the importance in a name.

Your name can either inform your consumer about who you are, what you do, even what you stand for, or it can say absolutely nothing.

We live in a world of instant gratification, cell phones and laptops have made our patience shorter ever year that technology gets better. If we walk up to a store, we want to know what it is immediately, without thinking.

Furnish does this; PPL SHOP did not.

I’m glad they made it 20 years; like I said, I love them, but I am shocked anyone ever walked in? I wonder what the other customers on their first visit thought the place was?

Maybe they were all like me and stumbled across it on accident?

Either way, at least we found them, and I think with the new name they will be around a lot longer, and that’s a good thing.

If you are reading this, and you live in Minnesota, check them out some time, it’s actually a really fun store with an ever rotating mix of goods. You can also see them online at www.furnishofficeandhome.org

Cheers,

Josh Fedie

The “Adholics”
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