Brand Naming

Working Names

Candidates, grouped by where they come from. Two friends from Oak Park, now in Lakeview — at home on the streets we grew up on and the lakefront harbors we live by. The leading direction is by the water. None are locked: the test is saying them out loud and checking the domain.

What we're looking for

Short — one or two syllables idealDoesn't scream outdoors or health foodWorks on a pouch, an Instagram grid, and a market signReads like a restaurant or cookbook, not a supplementHas room for a second chapter

By the water

Lakeview now, the lakefront our home base — the harbors, the water, and the blue windmill by Diversey Harbor where the two of us always meet.

Lake Street

The El line from Oak Park into the Loop — and the word that says everything about where we spend our time now. Home and lakefront in two syllables.

Windward

A sailing term: into the wind. Carries the harbors with a quiet nod to that windmill. Confident, with movement.

Breakwater

The wall that makes a harbor calm. Evocative and premium — nobody else in the aisle sounds like it.

Mooring

Where a boat rests between trips. Calm, distinct, and easy to own.

Montrose

The harbor and beach up the lakefront. Reads like a proper noun — premium without explaining itself.

Blue Mill

The blue windmill, shortened. A mill grinds grain and nuts, so there is quiet food logic in it too. Our story, baked in.

Jetty

Short, clean, unmistakably by the water. Spells itself.

Rooted in home

Oak Park, where we both grew up. The hometown thread, for when heritage beats waterfront.

Two Oaks

Two founders, one Oak Park. Oaks give acorns — a brand that starts with what trees make.

Prairie

Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School began in Oak Park. Grounded, Midwestern, room to grow.

Marion

Oak Park's main downtown street. Reads like a first name: warm, a little old-world.

Euclid

A quiet Oak Park avenue. Classical and distinct — premium without trying.

From the kitchen

Words borrowed from the food world — the cookbook-and-restaurant feeling we want on the shelf.

Larder

The old word for a pantry. Quietly upscale; implies a stocked, considered kitchen.

Sundry

Various good things, gathered. Fits a line that reads as a collection.

Mise

From mise en place — everything in its place. An insider nod, and very short. (Say it "meez.")

Stoop

Where a Chicago two-flat says hello. Neighborly, urban, warm.

How you eat it

Drawn from the act itself — and from blends built like a dish.

Handful

Exactly how trail mix is eaten. Plain, warm, and ownable.

Graze

Light, modern, food-forward. Easy to say and spell.

Course

A course in a meal — leans into blends built like a dish.

Plenty

Generous and warm. (Worth checking — shared with a known cookbook and a produce brand.)

How we'll decide

  1. Memorable and easy to spell on the first try
  2. Domain available, or a close variant we'd be happy with
  3. No obvious trademark conflict in food & snacks
  4. Sounds good ordered out loud — at a coffee counter or a market booth

Concept