What's in a Name?

Got some good news today - the lawyer got back to me to say the initial search gives the go ahead for the name I've chosen : Café Novo Inc.

WOO HOO!!

Now this isn't a full green light, as she now needs to do the NUANS name search, to ensure there aren't any registered names that are confusingly similar. That won't take long, and generally from what I understand if the pre-search gives the go-ahead, it's smooth sailing.

A bit about the name...

I thought about all the cafes I've liked, and their names. Some don't indicate coffee at all, like Cherry Bomb on Roncesvalles Ave in Toronto, with their little bomb sign :

Super cute, I admit, and if you know a bit about coffee you realize it does tie in - coffee beans are actually cherry pits.

I do appreciate when a business is frank, and tells me what they are selling however. I wanted the word café in my business name. I wanted to convey the clean, crisp interior I picture, and the feeling you get when you just take a moment to relax and enjoy a good coffee, or aromatic tea and watch the world go by.

I couldn't think of just the right word to convey all of this in one neat package. So I turned to the mother of our langauge, latin.

ex novo
'from new'
Said of something that has been built from scratch.

In general usage, de novo is a Latin expression meaning 'afresh', 'anew'.

novo : to make anew, refresh, revive, change, alter, invent.

All of this summed up to me what I plan for the cafe to represent, to enliven, refresh and renew.

I'm not only re-inventing myself and what I do, but I'm offering in the cafe a moment for others to refresh, renew and enliven themselves. I think it's simple enough that you don't have to 'get' it to appreciate the name itself, but it fleshes out the concept I have.

And I won't lie - I said it outloud a few hundred time, and like how it rolls of the tongue. If you like saying it, you're more likely to pay a visit!

So tomorrow I head to the lawyers to sign the initial paperwork to start getting the company incorporated. Hopefully it won't take too long, and then I can finally start applying for all the licences I need from the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, and our lovely Country of Canada.

I think I summed it all up in the Twitter post of the same topic - let's get this freakin' party started!!

xo