by Julie Carter
Times are hard. Folks are doing all they can to make a living and pay the light bill. Often, that includes owning several businesses in an attempt to corner a share of the commercial dollars available in any given location.
Unusual names for business are not, well, unusual. Quippy, clever and cute names can be found everywhere painted on signage or flashing in lights declaring a multitude of types of commerce.
The Girdle Garage, Get Plastered, Get Crabs Here and A Pane In The Glass are examples of crafty titles of business offering only a suggestion of the goods and services within. One of my favorites is "Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes." Now how could you pass that one up?
However, the ones that always catch my eye are the folks that are uniting a number of skills under one roof and naming them all in the business name. Every state has these but I always get a kick out of noting the frequency of them when I drive down any Texas highway.
I'm told by a native Texan that one of the state's mottos is "Bluer skies, brighter stars, colder beer, and wilder bars. A Denton, Texas establishment quite possibly proves at least one of those points.
“Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor & Chainsaw Repair Night Club” is a Denton landmark. It is the oldest nightclub in Denton, opened in 1976 by Margaret Hunnicutt.
Morphing through a number of name changes, the now infamous name was selected as the result of several glasses of wine and great friends.
The atmosphere in Mable's is friendly and often likened to Sam Malone's "Cheers" of television fame.
A food and beer store in Dublin is named “Chigger Ranch”. It's a landmark and locals give you directions from there. "You go east from Chigger Ranch about two blocks and take a left ..."
Down the road a piece is a new “Western Store and Saloon”. Just before Christmas they hosted their fourth consecutive grand opening since the first three went so well. This combination of businesses came about when a man bought the old saloon building to open a Western apparel store, but had not yet had the time to take down the old saloon sign. Around town it is now referred to as the “Comanche Saloon and Hat Store.”
In Stephenville, you will find the “Everlasting Life Church and Livestock Auction”. Services are on Wednesday and Sunday with a Goat Sale on Fridays and Cattle Sale on Saturday.
In Dublin there is a business called “House Leveling and Livestock Commission.” That fits right in with a few others in the general area of Central Texas: “Hanson's Egg Farm and Horse Training”, “Ellie's Home-style Café and Welding Repair” and “Joe's Liquor Sales, Auto Repair and Daycare”.
Outside Stephenville, there is an old beer joint that has been closed for quite a while. However, the outside has been repainted and adorned with the silhouettes of shapely girls similar to those seen on the mud flaps of trucks, standing up but clearly nude.
The name painted on this establishment is “Spring Break” and on the front of the building is another sign that says, "Interviewing Dancers." The place is nowhere near ready to open and there are never vehicles or other signs of civilization around it.
The locals are questioning where exotic dancers could be found among the "corn-fed" locals or the Lake Dwellers, the name given to a sect of folks who thrive hillbilly-style near the banks of the regional lakes.
It is suspect if the business ever has any intention of opening and perhaps someone is just having fun interviewing dancers.
Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net.
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