Making Fetch Happen

"You may call me Aunt Vickey"

When my daughter was born, she didn’t immediately have a name. Not for not trying, we’d tried for months to come up with options and had narrowed to a few, but wanted to judge her temperament and “see who she is” before making the final (last minute) call. Contrast this to my mother who knew exactly what she wanted her new name to be, she had selected her moniker precisely to avoid the old Beverly Hillbillies sounding “Granny” or the random “meeemaw” “beboppi” or other nonsense name grandparents sometimes get badged. In the end, I think both were the right decisions for them even if in that early time there wasn’t much to go on. But as time unfolded they are both just (W)right, I can’t think any other handle would fit them more appropriately.

As a man, bringing this space to life is about as close as I get to the work of birthing. (tired, sore, takes a long time, expensive…) I’ve been thinking about this new area and what it will be, not just in materials and dimensions, but in vibes, lighting, hopes and dreams I have for it. Much in the same way an expectant parent might. To that end, I’ve been thinking about its name, to get it right, or at least not get it wrong.

So then what to call this thing? Over the years I’ve collected options, consider this the baby name book, along with my personal thoughts. Feel free to offer your suggestions/takes as well, I’d love to hear them and totally won’t do what expecting parents do…. “Primrose, that’s nice” and throw it on the trash heap of names.

I should say too, that below are functional names. I’m often impressed with the cleverness of boat names, and could get into that angle (but have already spent too much time on this post), but could be the guy with “Just Boat” emblazoned on the transom.

The List

Garage This is what I typically refer to my existing shop (unless I want to sound more uptight) since it is in fact just an attached two-car garage. It seems impractical to extend this practice though since this new place isn’t in any way meant for cars and of course the confusion with the existing garage.

Addition We often call it this during construction, but this one feels fixed in time and a bit odd down the road as it doesn’t give much context other than it’s newer than the rest of the house. Like the old timers giving directions to “go past where there used to be a barn, then turn right”

Annex (see addition) Though it makes me think of The Office so it has that going for it.

Shop Probably the most straightforward and what most woodworkers refer to their work space as. Ultimately it’s short for workshop and that is pretty plain English to me.

Studio In many ways, this feels like a good fit for this space with all the light, openness and windows. But this word feels a bit pretentious and makes me feel like I would need a beret, cape or at least a turtleneck. “You can find me in the studio” makes me feel like I need to put some money in a jar.

Den Functionally this kind of makes sense as a retreat or place where I will be most often holed up, but this name feels more like a place to smoke a pipe and read a book than make a chair.

Lair (see den) but with potential nefarious plotting

Haven Also similar to den, this makes me feel like I would need many more steampunk features to pull this off, maybe a monocle and a much better mustache

Space Not going to lie, this has a NASA vibe to it that I like. Also, not too pretentious or fixated on what must happen there, it’s open for woodworking, 3d printing, or flamenco dancing.

Sanctuary way too linked to religion in a bad way when I hear this.

Room nondescript, good, but also maybe a little too vague, like weirdly so. Also then is it “my room”? that seems like a great way to get rumors started about my marriage being on the rocks “I hear they have their own rooms” Also hopefully it’ll be a welcome space for not just me.

Works I actually hadn’t remembered this one until my recent post on logos. I like this, it’s short simple and historical but also kind of feels like reaching to be a bit cutesy but also industrial?

Atelier I really like this word, but sadly have to agree with Schwarz on this one

“Atelier: It’s a fancy French word for “studio” or “workshop.” Don’t try to teach your customers how to speak another language unless you are a language instructor. I love the French language. It’s gorgeous. Ham-mouthed Americans should keep their gums off it.” —Christopher Schwarz

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/editors-blog/words-woodworking-make-barf/

Manufacturing Facility This one I adore after reading this post as it mirrors my personal façade; appears uptight & serious but is actually a bit deep and introspective to those “in the know”. (I hope.) Sadly, it doesn’t roll off the tongue in conversation.

“The big factory where goods are turned out wholesale by machinery was not thought of then. Now a machine has no brains, no feelings, so the articles it turns out have a smooth, uninteresting finish, they are not imbued with the personality of the hand maker, and they lack the subtle charm of it.

I almost fancy that the word manufacture has lost its original meaning, for when I hear of manufactured goods, I always think of machinery and steam; yet the word manufacture, I learn from my dictionary, means hand made, being derived from manus, the hand, and factum, a making.” —James John Hissey

The Charm of the Road: England and Wales – 1910 http://blog.lostartpress.com/2013/06/27/lost-its-original-meaning/

Lab another über-cool sounding name, conjuring mad scientist vibes. Sadly, I feel a bit like a poser to steal this gem of a term from Raney Nelson of Daedtoolworks who has often referred to his place as “the lab.” I’m not sure I’m experimental or punk rock enough to pull it off.

Clubhouse Another excellent and apt term, this time from Shannon Rogers of Renaissance Woodworker. I think he hits the nail right on the head here for many. For me personally this is a bit too happy-go-lucky. Makes me think of “Sandlot” and “Our Gang”. Great ideals but not really in line with my actual personality (except maybe Alfalfa) or how the workshop will be used, I have no such band of friends to call a club :,(

“Hobbyist woodworkers obsess over their shops. I think the pros do something similar but on the whole when the finished product pays the mortgage the focus is not really on the shop. The hobby guys however would probably be better to call the shop the clubhouse instead. We love to agonize over work flow and bells and whistles that amount to nothing more than creature comforts. We create ingenious solutions to limited space and sometimes just hangout in the shop doing nothing but moving tools around from one spot to the other.”
http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/the-blank-slate-shop/

What do you think? Should I pick some specific name and stick with it until it sticks, or let it evolve naturally and risk it becoming “Gaga Nonni” Or is the whole endeavor just an exercise in arrogance and pomposity and just let it be simply a vanilla “shop”?