Looking for a good name for your yarn shop? If you’ve done any searching for a name, you may feel like all the good ones are already taken. You want to find the perfect name, but how do you make the final decision?
If you’re struggling to come up with some name ideas for your yarn shop, 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.
Let’s get started!
Check out our industry overview if you’re starting a yarn shop
Tips For Naming Your Yarn Shop
Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before diving in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open 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 narrowing things down and landing 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.
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 Say or Spell
Voice-to-text and voice search are 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 Yarn-Related Terms
Since you’re opening a yarn shop, using yarn and kitting-related terms in the name might make sense. It may help to start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.
A few examples of this could include Knit & Bolt, Knot Just Yarn, or Spin Me a Yarn.
For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to develop 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 audience, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about hiring a yarn shop.
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 the yarn shop industry
- Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
- 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. 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:
- Badger Mountain Yarns
- Driftwood Farms Yarn & Candle
- Palmetto Yarn Shoppe
- Yarn Texas
With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your yarn shop down the road.
List of Catchy Yarn Shop Business Names
Here is a list of existing yarn shop names that may help give you some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure the name you want can be used.
- A Sheep At The Wheel Yarn Co
- Alamitos Bay Yarn Company
- Alice’s Yarn Boutique
- Apricot Yarn
- Badger Mountain Yarns
- Bare Naked Yarn
- Beach Bunny Yarns
- Birdhouse Yarns
- Black Mountain Yarn Shop
- Black Sheep Yarn Boutique
- Blue Ridge Yarns
- Castaway Yarns
- Center Of The Yarniverse
- Clover Yarns
- Craft Studio
- Crafty Crochet
- David’s Yarn
- Driftwood Farms Yarn & Candle
- Entwined
- Epic Yarn
- Farmhouse Yarn
- Fiber Gallery
- Haus of Yarn
- Hearts On Fiber
- Hypnotic Yarn
- Island Yarn Company
- Knit & Bolt
- Knit On!
- Knit Sheep Yarn
- Knit Whits Yarn & Crafts
- Knit Wit
- Knit Yarn & Fiber Studio
- Knitcircus Yams
- Knits & Pieces
- Knitting Nest
- Knitting Off Broadway
- Knitworks Yarn Co
- Knot Just Yarn
- Lazy Bee Yarn
- Left Bridge Yarns
- Life’s A Yarn
- Lightning Fast Needles
- Little House of Yarn
- Little Yarn Shoppe
- Long Tail Yarn
- Lost Sheep Yarn Shop
- Love Yarn Shop
- Lucky Cat Yarns
- Main St. Yarn Shop
- Mobile Yarn
- Moonlight Yarn
- Must Love Yarn
- My Yarn Stash
- Old Buckram Yarns
- Our Local Yarn Shop
- Palmetto Yarn Shoppe
- Paxton Yarn Concepts
- Pick Up Every Stitch
- Playful Day Yarns
- Purly Girls Yarn Shop
- Purple Wool
- Red Bug Yarn & Gifts
- Seaside Yarn & Fiber
- Serenity Stitches Yarn Shop
- She Sells Yarn & More
- Sip & Knit
- Spin Me A Yarn
- Stitch Therapy
- String Theory Yarn Co
- The Joy of Knitting
- The Wooden Needle
- The Yarn Studio
- Threadbender Yarn Shop
- Twisted Skein
- Uncommon Thread
- Unraveled Yarn Boutique
- Unwind Yarn Shop
- Weave & Wobble
- Weaver House
- Whole Nine Yarns
- Wicked Good Yarns
- Wild Fiber Studio
- Windblown Fibers
- Woodstock & Yarn
- Yarn Bank
- Yarn Bar
- Yarn Basket
- Yarn Haven & Boutique
- Yarn Lounge
- Yarn Maven
- Yarn Nook
- Yarn Parlor
- Yarn Shop Santa Cruz
- Yarn Stop
- Yarn Story
- Yarn Texas
- Yarn Zen Fibers
- Yarnaholic Warehouse
- Yarns Untold
- Yarnz 2 Go
Is Your Yarn Shop Name Available to Use?
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.
Can the business name be registered in your state?
If you plan to use a specific business name, you may be required by the state to verify it’s available to use.
Related: How to check business name availability in your state
Is your name already trademarked?
When searching for a name for your new business, you should check that your new name isn’t trademarked by someone else. If it is, you may not be allowed to use it legally.
Thankfully, the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) makes trademark searching a breeze through their Trademark Database.
A name isn’t necessarily available if it doesn’t appear in this search. Every business has some limited protection through a common law trademark. This means another business can’t open up down the street with the same name, as this creates confusion for customers. Also, be sure to check local competitors by doing a Google search and looking through the Yellow Pages.
If your name is available and you want to protect it from being used by anyone else, you can register it with the USPTO.
Related: How to check for a trademark
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 is easily incorporated 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.
Related: How to create a logo for your business.
Hopefully, you now have some ideas for the name of your yarn shop. Once you have narrowed this list 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 yarn shop name!
