Name our co-op!
August 15, 2013 8:35 AM   Subscribe

We're trying to start a co-op in the greater Boston area. Our values are kid-friendliness, parent-friendliness, social justice, and intentional community. We'd like it to be a peaceful, welcoming place. What should we name it?
posted by woodvine to Grab Bag (13 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Co-munity!
posted by xingcat at 8:36 AM on August 15, 2013


co-bo

bost-op
posted by goethean at 8:43 AM on August 15, 2013


bo-co-op
posted by goethean at 8:44 AM on August 15, 2013


Best answer: Iugum (you-gum) is Latin for bond, like familial bond or friendship bond. Yews and (sweet)gums are both trees. And your logo could be, like, trees or something.
posted by phunniemee at 8:45 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


You could use any type of highly social animal (such as gorillas, dolphins, orcas, etc.) as your name or as part of your name (Gorilla Grub?). A benefit is that a logo of an animal is memorable and very easily recognizable among all cultures and nationalities and ages, and can feel kid friendly if presented in a fun or interesting way (witness the success of Sriracha hot sauce - few people in the US remember the name but they remember the rooster). Of course such animals are sometimes also associated with abuse, so you'd have to find some way to walk that line.
posted by Dansaman at 8:58 AM on August 15, 2013


There are many kinds of co-ops. Are you talking about a food co-op? Is it member-based?

If it is member-based, and you already have members signed up, a good way of building community is to survey them about a potential name.
posted by jammy at 9:27 AM on August 15, 2013


Best answer: "The Canopy" keeps coming up for me. It feels inclusive and comfortable. Some variation of that.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 9:30 AM on August 15, 2013


The Canopy could also tie in to a tree theme, trees make for great logos.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 9:31 AM on August 15, 2013


Most of the co-ops I lived in in other cities were named for interesting social activists, and the Boston area had plenty of those. Someone like Margaret Fuller or others from the Emerson/Hawthorne/Thoreau/Alcott set might make a good choice.
posted by ldthomps at 10:05 AM on August 15, 2013


Response by poster: It's a housing co-op.
posted by woodvine at 11:59 AM on August 15, 2013


Most of the co-ops I lived in in other cities were named for interesting social activist

Yeah, this is true where I've lived too — either activists or philosophers of an idealist bent. It's a nice tradition.

Given the family-and-children angle, maybe pick someone who worked with kids or families, or was interested in pedagogy, or wrote for kids, or etc.? (Alcott? Rousseau? DuBois? Mary Harris Jones? ...)
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 12:19 PM on August 15, 2013


Goosfraba
posted by oceanjesse at 1:03 PM on August 15, 2013


Response by poster: We love The Canopy. Thanks!
posted by woodvine at 1:45 PM on August 15, 2013


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