Business names that sound strange to others?

[Thipu1]

Chinese Take-out restaurants in NYC are notorious for odd names. 

'Ho-Hum' for people who like their food bland.

'Long Line' for people who are in no hurry to get their food. 

In the 1970s there was a shop on 1st Avenue that was devoted to truth in advertising.  The shop proudly announced that they sold, 'Cheese of Most Nations'.

[oz diva]

Schindlers Lifts - an elevator company in Australia.  Why, just why?!

Schindler is a huge company that is the biggest escalator manufacturer in the world, and a big elevator manufacturer as well.
According to wikipedia, they've been around since 1874 so they definitely have seniority - with both Oskar and Spielberg.

And Kenneally (who wrote the book). 

Coon cheese anyone?

[Thipu1]

A package store is called that because they sell sealed containers of alcohol to be taken away unopened.  Another term for the same sort of place in the UK is 'off license'.  This means that alcohol is sold to be consumed off-premises. 

[GeauxTigers]

Meanwhile, in Beijing.....

[pollymel]

When I was in Canada, there were a couple of doozies based on the fact that "Roots" means uh, to play scrabble in Australia.  So, the Roots Store, commonly called a brothel here.  Roots Canada  showed enviable enthusiasm, and Roots Kids was just wrong.   

[Silversurfer]

  pollymel said
When I was in Canada, there were a couple of doozies based on the fact that "Roots" means uh, to play scrabble in Australia.  So, the Roots Store, commonly called a brothel here.  Roots Canada  showed enviable enthusiasm, and Roots Kids was just wrong.   

Bwahahah! I always thought it strange that we Aussies have another name for Burger King - its called Hungry Jacks here! (or is it the other way round?)

[Slartibartfast]

Not the business name, but the website - we've got a semi-annual thrift store here specializing in kids' clothing, called Klassy Kids Exchange.  You bring in children's clothes/toys to consign, then the sale runs a week or so.

They got the rather unfortunate web address of klassykidsexchange dot com - I'm guessing nobody noticed "kid sex change" was in their name when they bought the domain 

[Hollanda]

I always used to giggle when my mum said we had flown with Virgin Atlantic enough times to be considered "frequent Virgins"...she actually tried to  make me, at aged 15, wear a red Tshirt saying "I Am A Frequent Virgin"...uh no. Just no.

The funniest thing I ever saw was this: a pub, called "The Travellers' Rest". Above that, was a hairdressers...the hairdressers was called "Cut Above The Rest." Clever, clever!!!

[mechtilde]

I once saw a firm of estate agents called "Doolittle and Dalley"

[Irishkitty]

  pollymel said
When I was in Canada, there were a couple of doozies based on the fact that "Roots" means uh, to play scrabble in Australia.  So, the Roots Store, commonly called a brothel here.  Roots Canada  showed enviable enthusiasm, and Roots Kids was just wrong.   

Bwahahah! I always thought it strange that we Aussies have another name for Burger King - its called Hungry Jacks here! (or is it the other way round?)

I thought that Hungry Jacks was modelled on BK. There is actually Burger King in Australia, I should know, I briefly worked for them   (I did prefer Hungry Jacks though!)

[Mom2PBJ]

I know how Chik-Fil-A is pronounced, but it still looks weird to me, too. I am guessing it is the cutesy intentional misspelling, especially with a “k” in there and the dashes. I’m sure it’s more attractive from a marketing standpoint than Chick’ Filet would have been, but still.

And don't forget their mascot - a cow whose motto is "eat more chiken".

[Glaceon]

Joe's Crab Shack. 

A local car dealer named Phil McKrackin.

[Snooks]

When I was in Canada, there were a couple of doozies based on the fact that "Roots" means uh, to play scrabble in Australia.  So, the Roots Store, commonly called a brothel here.  Roots Canada  showed enviable enthusiasm, and Roots Kids was just wrong.   

I was just coming to this thread to mention Roots.  Although the problem in the UK isn't Roots it's their Beaver Creek clothing.  In the UK a lady would not walk down the street with a t-shirt advertising her beaver.

[emwithme]

There's a law firm near where I grew up called Wright Hassall. 

It got its name in the 1870s

[Snowy Owl]

There's quite a UK art gallery that now calls itself Godfrey & Watt.  Its original name had a T in front of the watt.  As this sounds the same when spoken as a rather impolite euphemism for ladyparts the name always rather amused me. 

Much to my amusement the name soon dropped the T.