How important is a name?

I have mixed feelings about this topic after finally securing the Trademark Popina for my swimwear brand. Initially when I informally started my business, I chose a name that seemed unique enough……I knew I needed to secure a trademark at some point, but felt that I had some time and would get to it once I became more serious about my business. That time came two years later after purchasing my brick and mortar retail store signage and website url. The result of not first choosing a solid business name caused unnecessary legal fees, frustration and redoing work to establish our name in both the brick and mortar world and on the internet.

STEP #1 in starting a business if you are manufacturing a product is to make sure the name you are using is available. This is a very easy thing to do and potentially fun. The USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) has a database of all registered and pending trademarks (See Trademarks => 3 Search TM database (TESS) => New User Form Search (Basic)).

It is wild to consider that there are only so many names out there that actually sound like something. As life goes on it will be harder and harder to secure a name that is not just a set of random consonants and vowels as many of the best names have already been taken! As you search the TESS database keep in mind that just because you see a name that you are interested in that appears to have been taken it does not mean that the name is unavailable. Trademarks have different classes of goods, for apparel the class 025 - do a search for Popina on Tess and you will see our Trademark Serial # 77048989. One example, if you were interested in using the name “snowden” for your company (search on the USPTO as of today you will see there are multiple current uses). Although “snowden” is being used, it is not being used by class 025 so it would potentially be free to use for apparel.  Trademarks are established by use, just becuase the Trademark has not been registered on the TESS database a further step is needed with legal assistance to do a comprehensive search for me that search cost about $500.  All in all from start to finish if you choose a name that appears free on TESS without any hiccups on your comprehensive search you can anticipate this process to cost as little as $1,000.

In retrospect a name is very important to a business, I really liked my initial name enough to ignore the legal opinions of three different lawyers to try to keep a name that I was emotionally tied to which is very easy to happen.  The result was costly, frustrating and took energy away from other aspects of my business.  This is all the more reason to check TESS before you start using a name!  In reality a name does not have virtually any meaning until you give it meaning by establishing a quality brand.  So have fun, work to find a name you can live with, hopefully that you like, and go out and make it mean something!

Vinideus Wine Shop is located in Northeast Portland’s Beaumont Wilshire Neighborhood.  My sense is that Vinideus was set up to serve the immediate neighborhood, ex-pats from France and Americans who love France.

In attempting to create a French styled wine bar, there is a level of authenticity that may only be attainable from being French.  The decor is simple and warm, decorated by racks of wine, tables, a few couches and a long 10 foot bar whose top which looks like a long cross cut of a giant wine vine. 

On the weekends they always manage to attract great musicians, this past weekend, it was a duo of acoustic upright bass and fiddle.  So you find yourself in Northeast Portland and are looking for a fun escape to South of France without the jet lag, be sure to check out Vinideus and sample some of their private label wines from France and Oregon.

At Popina we have three principal business lines of distribution of our eponymous retro swimwear line. These include a brick and mortar swimsuit store in Northeast Portland, on line swim suit sales and wholesale swimwear sales. As a small business owner, everytime you look to spend money and effort with a new business partner it can be a little nerve wracking whether it is a lawyer, accountant, graphic designer or photographer. At Popina we take photos of 90% of our swimwear line which we use to sell our product on line, for our wholesale catalogue, for in store merchandising and marketing and advertising. With the cost of models and photographers, plus the coordination time to set everything up you want to be sure that everything works out right.

Fashion Photographer, Pete Springer was great to work with. If you are a local designer, boutique owner or someone who needs product shots in Portland, Oregon look no further than Pete. Small Business owners are the hardest working people you will meet, time is precious. Pete has a mobile photo studio he can bring to you. For oru shoot after hours Pete was able to bring a large white screen and lighting to our store, it took Pete about an hour to set up and we got all the shots we needed in two hours. He has very good instincts as a photographer and was consultative as we worked through our shots to make sure they turned out the way we wanted them. Because we have not had a lot of experience with live model photo shoots this was particularly appreciated.

Click for more information on Pete Springer Photography.

It is always fun to discover a fun, well formatted web site with great content. For those of you out there who love retro fashion like I do have some fun exploring ReTRo HouSeWiFe. Self described as “a site for the modern day housewife with household tips, recipes, fashion and a look at the historical housewife”, Retro Housewife offers an extensive chronicle of Retro Fashion and Advice & Tips for domestic goddesses. Explore articles on personal finance, traveling with husbands and a great travel section.

We have been wanting to start a Blog devoted to Retro Swimwear fashion, travel and all things related to recreational swimming for sometime at Popina Swim.  Since we have begun our swimsuit venture we have recieved a lot of questions ranging from being a small business owner to starting a business to the most important questions related to fashion and design.  Thank you for visiting the Retro Swimwear Blog!

Pamela Levenson, Owner/Designer Popina Swim