h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There is (or was--haven't been there for awhile) a coffee shop in Arcata called Sacred Grounds.

I believe that one of the hairdressers where I am that is called Bladerunner.

Oo! I've forgotten one of my favourites!

The exterior work on my Mother's house in Spennymoor was done by...wait for it...William The Concreter.

B

And my father has literally just sent me the name of this chip shop in Goole:

http://tinyurl.com/yzqgp4f

B

not sure if this is true, or if it is if I remember it rightly, but I think it was a building firm in Bradford run by an ethnically Indian family with this legend on their vans "You've tried the cowboys now try the Indians"

And I remember a small hardware shop somewhere in Sheffield (probably Firth Park or Shiregreen) called Do it Thisen

Sometimes the funny thing comes with foreing languages. The name/brand can be ok for the natives but it may sound a bit weird in another language. For instance:

Minabo is a Japanesse restaurant in Madrid, in Spanish Mi is My and nabo is slang for penis.

they do, but the best are the unfortunate meanings and unexpected results.

It still gets me that many years after they started it (and there are posts more than a few years old on here where I have mentioned this before) the local removal company has the slogan
'Removers of Distinction'
seemingly unaware of the double meaning...

Still makes me smile when I see it

Which reminds me - there's a company here that specialises in corporate relocations, called 'Movers and Shakers'. Doesn't inspire confidence, does it?

O'Donoghue's bakery in Tullamore has the slogan:

Mr O'D says, Use your loaf and keep the dough in town.

TRiG.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r166/swl_album/image001_3_.jpg

^ ^

Ah, the Selly Saussage - - the best maple syrup pancakes this side of Bromsgrove.

There used to be a butchers in Wantage with the slogan "Meat to please you, pleased to meet you"

As already noticed, hair dressers are particulary prone to this:

"Debonhair"
"A cut above"
etc, etc. etc

Even the barber's in the local High Street is "Pa's snips"

It must be the chemicals.

Chinese takeaways too: "Wok and Roll"

There is or was a haulage company based at the western end of the M4 called "Welsh Far Go" which I loved, and there was apparently a feminist collective who ran another haulage company called "Mothertruckers" which I wanted to join.

Reading this thread reminded me of the butcher in Kidderminster (a town in Worcestershire, England) who was taken to task by the local council for displaying the following sign next to several hanging rabbits:

WATERSHIP DOWN; You've read the book; you've seen the film. Now, eat the cast.

Wntage? In Oxfordshire? That's just down the road from where I gre up, Ben. I used to swim for the swimming club there about three times a week when I was a kid.

There was a baby clothes shop in Glasgow called 'Weans World', which only works in the local accent.

I know of a chip shop near Bristol called the Cod Almighty. In the same street there are two other interesting but non-punning businesses: a mysterious mirror-fronted place where men can go to get fitted out as women, and a (I think) builder's machinery repair place called 'Beaver Service'. ('Nice Beaver!' 'Yes - I've just had it serviced' etc. etc.)

On butchers...

There was the place that had a special, novelty deal on offal: 'Your name in lights'.

Business district coffee shop The Daily Grind

I saw the van of a smimming pool maintenance company last year, the "Aqua pool co."

>> Wantage? In Oxfordshire?

Actually it was Witney. My bad.