Tips & Ideas for Naming an Antique Shop

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If you’re struggling to name your antique store, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. In this article, I cover some of the top tips for naming your new business as well as how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.

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Helpful Tips and Tricks for Naming Your Antique Store

Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before you dive in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open up a blank spreadsheet.

Then, use it as a place to brainstorm ideas and write down words or phrases that come to mind as you go through the tips below.

From there, we’ll talk about how to narrow things down and land on the perfect name.

1. Keep It as Short as Possible

Short business names are usually snappier, catchier, and easier to remember. Ideally, you want to stick to two to five syllables and hopefully no more than 25 characters total.

However, the shorter the name, the better.

With that said, there are exceptions to this, and it’s not a hard rule. But, when you think about huge, notable brands, which ones come to mind?

Nike. Apple. Ikea. Febreeze. Target. Honeywell.

They’re easy to remember because they’re short, simple, and brandable.

Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But typically, the shorter and simpler your name, the easier it is for everyone to remember.

2. Avoid Words That Are Hard to Hear and Pronounce

Voice to text and voice search is more popular now than ever before. So, it’s important to consider making your name easy to pronounce and hear.

To do this, avoid using:

Commonly misspelled words
Complex terms that are hard to spell
Words that have several pronunciations
Homophones like to, too, and two

Try to keep things as concise and simple as possible.

3. Consider Antique-Related Terms

Since you’re opening an antique store, it might make sense to use antique and vintage-related terms in the name, especially if you’re feeling stuck. It may help to just start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.

A few examples of this could include; Somewhere in Time Antiques, Memory Lane Antiques, or Forgotten Things.

For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can either use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to come up with additional synonyms.

From there, you can cross off bad ideas or any terms you don’t like.

4. Phrases Your Audience and Competition Uses

Your business exists for your target market, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about antiques.

There are quite a few places you can look to see what your customers (and competitors) are saying, including:

Facebook groups, posts, and stories
Forums related to antiques
Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
Trade journals
Magazines or blogs

Alternatively, you can ask friends or relatives in your target audience. Hearing it directly from them may help you brainstorm and narrow down your choices.

Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.

5. Types of Antiques You Sell

You can also consider the types of antiques you plan to sell in your shop. Maybe you specialize in depression glass, or a certain time period, or clocks.

If so, consider related phrases and terms specific to the products, services, and courses you plan to offer. This specificity can help your business stand out from other antique dealers competing for your audience’s attention.

6. Neighborhoods, Cities, and Nicknames

Including the name of your city, street, or neighborhood is an excellent way to encourage local shopping and create a strong sense of community in your area.

You can also think about nicknames for your city or neighborhood, as well. Here are some examples to use as inspiration:

Heartland Antiques & Gifts
Magnolia Lane Antiques
Vintage Shops of Frankford
Wildwood Antique Mall
Trail’s End Antiques

With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your antique store down the road.

7. Incorporate Your Name

If you’re still struggling to find the perfect name, consider using your name, a nickname, or something personal and unique to you.

This is a fantastic way to build a personal brand if that’s something you want to do. Some great examples of this in action include:

Scarlett’s Southern Accents
Powell’s Antiques
Patti’s Treasures & Antiques

If you go this route, keep in mind it may make it harder to sell your antique store later on.

Still Needing Inspiration?

Here is a list of existing antique store names that may help give you some creative name ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure it can be used.

Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!

2nd Chance
A Blast From The Past
A Fairhope Find
A Step Back In Time
A Taste Of The Past
A Walk Thru Time
All Around The House
Alligator Alley Antiques
Alway’s Picken
Amazing Estate Sales
Angels Abroad Antiques
Annette’s Antiques & Treasures
Antique Emporium
Antique Junction
Antiques & More
Antiques & Things
Antiques & Uncle Junk
Antiques Depot
Antiques Etcetera
Antiques On Main
Antiquities By Renzo
Apple Pie Crafts & Antique
As Time Goes By
Auntie Gail’s Collectibles
Back Door Antiques
Backroads Antiques
Barbaras Classy Trash
Bargain Barn
Beautiful Antiques
Blooms & Heirlooms
Blue Jar Antique Market
Brushy Creek Antiques
Carpenters Wife Antiques
Cats Meow
Country Store
Cowboy Country Antiques
Cowboys & Lace Antiques
Dog House Resale Shop
Downtown Alley
Durango Antique Market
Elaine’s Antiques
Falkner Antique Mall
Fancy Pants Antiques
Feather Your Nest Antiques
Finders Keepers
Florida Antique Bucket Brigade
Forgotten Things
Found Antique & Artisan Mall
Future Antiques
Garage Sale Antiques
Golden Memories
Good Ol’ Days Antiques
Green Glass Vintage
Happy Jacks Antiques
Heartland Antiques & Gifts
Hearts Desire
Hidden Treasures Antique Mall
Home Sweet Home Antiques
Homestead Antique Mall
House Of Charm Antiques
Iron Gargoyle Antique Mall
Iron Gate Antique Mall
J C Mercantile
Jen’s Antique Mall
Junebug’s Flea & Antique Mall
Junk Trunk
Junkspirations
Key To The Past Antique
Lantern 44
Legacy Americana
Less Traveled Road Antiques
Lou’s Relics
Magnolia Lane Antiques
Main Street Market
Marketplace Antique
Memory Lane
Memory Lane Antiques
Mid Century Madness
Mountain Eclectic
New To You
Noble Treasures
Oak Mountain Emporium
Old Colorado Vintage
Old Memories Store
Old Sale Barn Antique Outlet
Old South Stained Glass
Old Wood Delaware
Olde Town Hall Antiques
On Consignment In Bisbee
One Of A Kind Consignments
Ooodles Antiques Mall
Our Old Stuff Antique Mall
Our Place Antiques
Patti’s Treasures & Antiques
Personalities Of The Past
Powell’s Antiques
Present Perfect
Razzle Dazzle Vintage Boutique
Reflections Antiques
Remember When
Rescued Relic
Ribbons & Roses Antique Mall
River Wind Antique Shop
Robin’s Antique Boutique
Rum Runner’s Antiques
Scarlett’s Southern Accents
Scottsboro Antiques
Simply Charming At The Mill
Simply Southern Antiques & Gifts
Singing Grass Trading Co
Smokehouse Antiques
Somewhere In Time Antiques
South Street Antiques
Stone House Antiques
Swap Shop Antiques
Sweet Memories
Tin Shed
Traders Antiques
Trail’s End Antiques
Treasure Island Antiques
Treasures From The Attic
Tymeless Antiques & Treasures
Unique Treasures
Uniques & Antiques
Value Vintage
Village Antiques
Vintage Peddler
Vintage Shops Of Frankford
Way We Were
Whistle Post Antiques
Wild Old Things
Wildwood Antique Mall
Windows To The Past Antiques
Wizard Of Odds
Wonderland Antiques
World Treasures Of Naples
Yesterdays Fun
Yesterday’s Memories

Finding the Perfect Name: Putting It All Together

By now, you should have a lengthy list of words, phrases, and terms you can use in your business name. At this point, I highly recommend going through and removing any that are hard to spell or pronounce.

Now, you can start combining pieces together until something stands out. It may help to create a list of potential names you can use. From there, you can narrow things down to your favorites.

But before you make your final decision, it’s important that your new name passes a few tests.

Say It Out Loud

Make sure you say your new name out loud. It may look great as a logo, domain name, and on a business card. But it also needs to sound good when you say it out loud.

You can also sit down with someone and talk about your business. Does saying the name in casual conversation sound natural? If not, you may want to consider something simpler or easier to say.

Logo Design

Lastly, think about how to incorporate your new name into a logo. Logos should be simple, memorable, and indicative of your brand.

Take Apple, for example. Their business name easily incorporates into a logo. And today, it’s a household symbol that everyone immediately recognizes.

A logo is an important part of your brand identity, so don’t forget to consider turning your name into a memorable logo as you make your final decision.

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Checking the Availability of Your Top Considerations

At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.

This step is vital because using a name that someone else is using could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through each one.

Trademark Search

Trademarks are the most critical, so we’ll start here.

If a name or phrase is trademarked, you’re not allowed to use it in a similar capacity. So, run a trademark search for each business name you’re considering and cross off those that aren’t available.

Learn more about

Local Search

Just because there isn’t a federal trademark on a name doesn’t mean the name you want is available. That’s because there is a trademark known as a common law trademark. A common law trademark isn’t filed anywhere but provides someone who uses that name in commerce some limited rights in their geographical area to use the name. It can be hard to define how far geographically these rights extend as each industry is different, but at a basic level, someone can’t open a business and name it the same or similar name as a competing business in town. If you think the name could potentially create confusion with customers, it is usually best to just find another one to use to avoid potential legal issues down the road.

To do a local search, open up the phone book (if you still have one), and do a Google search to see if there are any local competitors with a similar business name to the one you want to use.

Cross off any similar names from your list and take the rest and let’s keep checking.

State Entity Search (If Applicable)

If you plan to register your antique store as a corporation or LLC, you have to register with a unique business name. Each state requires every corporation or LLC to register a unique name for their entity. This doesn’t necessarily protect your name from anyone else using it, but nobody can register a corporation or LLC under the same name in your state.

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If you find the name is in use, cross it off your list and move on.

Domain Name Availability

Website addresses aren’t as critical as the first three searches, but it’s still worth doing. Typically, you want your domain name to be “yourbusinessname.com” without any numbers, dashes, etc.

It’s easiest for customers to remember, but these are hard to come by.

However, you can explore other configurations and extensions if your preferred domain name isn’t available. Just remember your customers may have a more difficult time finding you online.

You can start with . Type in the domain name you want to use to see if it’s available. The tool also returns other possibilities you may want to consider.

Social Media Profiles

Next, especially if you are stuck between a couple of names, check and see if anyone is already using your potential antique store names on social media. Consider which platforms you plan to use and start with those.

Keep in mind you may have to shorten your company name for some platforms. Twitter only allows 15 characters, for example.

Start with your preferred platforms and do a quick search for your name. If nothing pops up, that likely means no one is using it, and you’re good to go.

Example: Someone is using startingyourbusiness on Instagram, so I would have to choose a different handle, making it more difficult for customers to find me.

Hopefully, you now have some ideas to name your antique store. Once you have this list narrowed down to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback, and then pick your perfect antique store name!