Why’d You Call It That?

Do you ever wonder how businesses get their name? Not every business, because some business names make total sense. Like PetCo or U-Haul or John’s Corner Market. But other names, while clever, often make no sense. Amazon for instance. What does the second longest river in the world have to do with e-commerce? I mean, it’s not even the number one longest river. Why would you name your company after the SECOND anything? Wouldn’t you want to liken your business to the first of something? If I were opening – say – a hat shop, it would make sense to call it Hats Off. But if I’m going a different route, wouldn’t naming it The Nile, after the number one longest river, make more sense? I’m sure Amazon had some strategy that I’m unaware of, but to the average Jane like me, I don’t get it.

Here in Vicksburg, we have a rooftop restaurant called 10 South. It’s not on the tenth floor (according to my calculations and research anyway), nor is it on South Street, nor is the view to the south. It’s on the top of the Trustmark Bank building (formerly the First National Bank) and directly above The Lofts luxury apartments. Why not call it The Loft Restaurant? Or the Eagle’s Nest? Or Top of the Loft? Or the Upper Loft? Or even The Penthouse? Well, you get it.

When visitors come to town, they are often seeking out this restaurant for it’s legendary view of the Mighty Mississippi River. And, the view IS pretty phenomenal, especially around sunset. But, nobody remembers that the restaurant is called 10 South. Why? Because it makes no sense. Most people just ask where the “rooftop” is. Or the rooftop restaurant.

I’ve heard it called Roof 10, 10 Roof, 10-20, Top of the Roof, The Roof, 10 Top, the Downtown Roof, and even the River View Roof. Everybody remembers the roof, some people remember the 10, but nobody ever gets the “south” in there. Ever. But, it never mattered, because everyone knew they were asking about 10 South and were able to direct them to the right place; the restaurant on the roof of the Trustmark Bank Building located at the corner of Clay and Washington Streets.

Now, to really complicate things, one of the partners who owns 10 South, opened his own restaurant 2 doors down. It’s a brewery and pub. He called his place(s) the Cottonwood Public House/Key City Brewery. Public House after the old English ale houses (pubs), Key City after President Lincoln’s declaration that “Vicksburg is the key to the south,” during the Civil War, not sure where the Cottonwood part comes into play. As names go, it’s a mouthful, but it sort of makes sense.

But, that doesn’t really matter, if folks ask about the pub, or the brewery I know where to send them. It’s a super cool place and does not really compete with the 10 South crowd at all. Until recently. The owner of the Cottonwood recently opened his own rooftop extension of his restaurant. It’s not quite as tall as 10 South, nor does it boast the same magnificent view, but it’s still pretty cool nonetheless with its open-air concept, river view, and party atmosphere.

Herein lies the confusion. He decided to call his rooftop, “the roof.” You see where this is not a good thing? Now when people ask about “the rooftop,” you have to play 20 questions with them to figure out if they are looking for 10 South, or the roof at the Cottonwood Public House. Why oh why did he do this? To create confusion and attract misguided tourists who are actually looking for 10 South? The owner of this restaurant is partners with the owner of 10 South (at least he used to be). Is it just me, or was this a bad idea?

With summer kicking into high gear here, we’re starting to see the return of music at a lot of our downtown restaurants. Cool right? Well, the Cottonwood has musical acts every Friday and Saturday night and their advertising says, “So and So on “the roof,” from 7-10.” Well, out-of-town guests might think this musical group will be performing at 10 South (aka the rooftop) instead of on the roof at the Cottonwood. I have to be very specific now when directing tourists for an evening out. This whole “roof” business has greatly complicated my life. Why’d he have to go and call it that anyway?

What say you guys – was this smart? Strategic? Poorly thought-out? What would you have called 10 South or “the rooftop?” Surely there’s a better name than 10 South. And, wouldn’t you have thought of some other clever name to call your rooftop if you were the second person to open a rooftop restaurant? Why muddy the waters?

Word of the Day: Quincunx

Fun fact about me: I love to make up names for the characters in my books. I have an entire list of names that will hopefully, one day, make it into one of my books. I’ll have to start writing though because I have a LOT of names on that list.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, June 2021. Images by 10 South (Facebook), Cottonwood Public House (Facebook) and Vicksburg Blues Society (Facebook), and Google.

Stay connected with news about my books and other fun stuff by signing up for my newsletter: http://bit.ly/JansenSchmidtNewsletter

On Common Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2BBu7bb

On Hallowed Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2KONmnf

On Solid Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/OSGAmazonebook