What is "Magnolia Investigations" a reference to?

March 17, 2010 4:00 PM

Is the name "Magnolia Investigations" a reference to a TV show or movie or book?

Recently I came across a small company called "Magnolia Investigations" which I thought was a pretty odd name. A Google search revealed that there are quite a few companies called "Magnolia Investigations". It can't be a fluke that over 30 small businesses all decided to call themselves the same name, so where did they get the idea?

posted by awfurby to Society & Culture (6 answers total)

Best answer: I think it's just an American South thing. Everything is Magnolia [something] down there.

Type Magnolia + just about any normal small business you can think of (restaurant, cafe, dry cleaners) and you'll find lots of results.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:13 PM on March 17, 2010

(My limiting this to the American South may be confirmation bias based on a recent trip through Mississippi, where it's the state flower. Magnolia as a common business name seems to be spread all over the US.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:17 PM on March 17, 2010

I popped in to say what MCMikeNamara said. Home of the soldier.
posted by nitsuj at 4:25 PM on March 17, 2010

Response by poster: OK, but one of the companies is Australian - fluke or something else?
posted by awfurby at 5:07 PM on March 17, 2010

I think you're reading too much into this.
posted by CharlesV42 at 6:17 PM on March 17, 2010

It can't be a fluke that over 30 small businesses all decided to call themselves the same name

Yes, it can.
posted by IAmBroom at 2:33 AM on March 18, 2010