Comic book stores dot many cities in the United States, which makes it hard to find a unique name for your store. Furthermore, how do you find an excellent name that represents your brand and speaks to your target audience?
How do you make the final decision?
If you’re struggling to name your comic book 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 and how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.
Learn more about the comic book store industry
Tips For Naming A Comic Book 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 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.
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 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 Comic Book Related Terms
Since you’re opening a comic book store, it might make sense to use comic book related words in the name, especially if you’re feeling stuck. 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 Escape from Reality, Funny Pages, Comic Relief, or The Comic Vault.
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 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 comics.
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 comic books
- 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. 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:
- Campus Comics
- Midtown Comic Books
- Comic Center of Pasadena
With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your comic book store down the road.
6. 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:
- Charlie’s Comic Book Store
- Dwight’s Comics
- Adam’s Comics and Toys
If you go this route, keep in mind it may make it harder to sell your comic book store later on.
List of Catchy Comic Book Store Names
Here is a list of existing comic book store 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 they can be used.
Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!
- 1st Edition Comics
- 3 Keys Comics
- 412 Comics
- Affordable Comics
- Afterhour Comics
- All Star Comics
- All Things Fun
- All Time Comics
- Amazing Collectables
- Archer Comics
- Arkham Comics & Games
- Asylum Comics & More
- Atomic Comics Crafts & More
- Average Ape Comics & Games
- Batcave Comics & Toys
- Battlegrounds Cards Comics & Games
- Black Ice Comics
- Blue Marble Comics & Games
- Book & Board Comics & Gaming
- Boom Comics
- B-Town Comics
- Buy Me Toys & Comics
- Caped Nerd Comics
- Capital City Comics & Toys
- Classic Comix
- Cloud 9 Comics
- Coastal Comics
- Cobalt Comics & Collectibles
- Codeword Comics
- Coliseum Of Comics
- Collectors Choice
- Collectors Comics & Toy
- Comic Book Cellar
- Comic Book Clubhouse
- Comic Book Lounge
- Comic Book University
- Comic Box
- Comic Break
- Comic Cellar
- Comic Command Center
- Comic Dig
- Comic Lounge
- Comic Outlaws
- Comic Paradise Plus
- Comic Relief
- Comic Showcase
- Comic World
- Comickaze Comics and Pop Culture Store
- Comics & Hobbies Etc
- Comics & Stuff
- Comics Adventure
- Comics Asylum
- Comics Dungeon
- Comics N Stuff
- Comics People
- Comics Plus
- Comics-N-Stuff
- Comiks The Gathering
- Corner Comic Shop
- Cosmic Cat Comics
- Cosmic Comics
- Counterplay Comics
- Crazy Fred’s Comic Book Lounge
- Desert Wind Comics
- Doomnation Comics
- Dr. No’s Comics & Games
- Dragon’s Lair Cards & Comics
- Dreamdaze Comics Fun & Games
- Epic Comics & Collectibles
- Evolved Comics
- First Legacy Comics
- Fortress Of Comics
- Fourth Wall Comics
- Fowl Language Comics
- Frankie’s Comics
- Funky Town Comics & Toy Store
- Funny Monkey Comics
- Galactic Cantina and Comics
- Galaxy Toys & Comics
- Game Over Comics
- Gauntlet Comic Books
- Geek Fantasy Comics
- Georgetown Comics
- Gotham’s Finest Comics
- Guys With Ties Comics
- Halloween Man Comics
- Heroes Comics & Gaming
- Heroes Ink Comics
- Heroes Never Die Comics
- Heroes Wanted
- Heroes World
- Holy Grail Comics
- Hooked On Comics
- Hot Comics & Collectibles
- Insurgent Comics & Games
- Into Comics Journey
- Inzane Comics
- Isle Of Comics
- Issues Needed
- It’s Geeky Comics & Collectables
- Just Heroes! Comics & Collectables
- Keith’s Comics
- Kingpin Comics
- Knowhere Games & Comics
- Lauderdale Comics
- Learn To Read Comics
- Legends Comics & Games
- Linear Comics & Games
- Lost Age Comics
- Lost Planet Comics
- Main Street Comics
- Majestic Comic & Coin
- Man Cave Comics
- Metro Comic Books
- Midtown Comics
- Mile High Comics
- Mind’s Eye Comics
- Monster’s Lair Comics
- Multiverse Comics & Beyond
- My Bargain Comics
- My Comic Cave
- Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
- Neighborhood Comics
- Nerd Culture
- New Dominion Bookshop
- No Fear Comics
- Not So Old Toys & Comics
- Now Or Never Comics
- On The Square Comics
- Payless Comics
- Phantom Zone Comics
- Phoenix Comics
- Pow Wow Comics
- Purple Turtle Comics
- Rad Raptor Comics
- Read Through Comics
- Rebel Base Comics & Toys
- Red Shirt Comics
- Rhino’s Comics & Collectibles
- Rick’s Comic City
- River City Sports & Comics
- Rocket Comics
- San Diego Comic Art Gallery
- Screaming Monkey Comics
- Secret Headquarters
- Secret Identity Comics
- Secret Lair Comic Book Shop
- Secret Society Comics
- Shamrock Comics
- Southeast Cards & Comics
- Space City Comic Con
- Star City Comics
- Starchaser Comic Studios
- Steel City Comics & Games
- Stoned Ninja Comics
- Stranger Comics
- Texas Comicbook Co
- That Geek Gallery
- The ComixLounge
- Three Skeletons Comics
- To Be Continued Comics
- Toys Back In Time Comics
- Twenty Eleven Comics
- Uncle Fred’s Comics
- Uncommon Comics
- Wakeup Comic Store
- We Can Be Heroes Comics
- West Coast Comics & Collectibles
- Wicked Gator Comics
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.
Is Your Comic Book Store 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 the most common ones.
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, 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
Hopefully, you now have some good name ideas for your comic book store. 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 comic book store name!
