How We Name our Rheirlooms

Back at the beginning, when I was considering Rheirlooms, aka flipping furniture, there were a ton of operational details to think through. Let me tell you, starting an online business for the first time is like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions—you think you have it all figured out until you're knee-deep in pieces and wondering what on earth you were thinking! 

We committed to offering 10 pieces right from the start. I managed to complete a couple, but I encountered some equipment issues. That’s when I decided to hire a painter who had worked at my home before. He had seen my closet pieces and casually mentioned that if I ever wanted to tackle furniture, I should give him a shout. It has been 2 years, but why not?—I texted him on a Sunday, and he responded immediately! Clearly, my charm was still fresh in his mind! 

The very next weekend, I found a piece and whisked it straight to his shop. He gave me a price but said he would lower the rates if I brought him more work. Within three days, I managed to find 10 more pieces, and we were off to the races! Who knew my scavenger skills would rival those of a raccoon in a dumpster? 

As we exchanged texts about the pieces, we needed a way to differentiate them. Referring to items as "the Drexel piece with broken hardware" or "the buffet with no shelves" quickly became a mouthful. My painter was blissfully unaware of the brands—kind of like trying to explain TikTok trends to your grandma! We needed a simpler way to identify them.

At that point, I realized I had been saying we "rescued" this, or that! Buying them right before their previous owners were about to call 1-800-JUNK. We were saving these poor souls from a trip to the landfill. It reminded me of the Save the Whales campaign from the 1970s; we were saving heirlooms! Suddenly, the creative marketing ideas started flowing faster than my coffee intake on a Monday morning. 

When I began to think about names, I pondered what other things people frequently give human names. Pets came to mind, and then I remembered my brother once had a  girlfriend who named her Volvo. This triggered thoughts of how Warby Parker names their product models—lightbulb moment! It was obvious: we were going to name each piece!

There are some downsides to this approach, though. To show up in Google search results, you’ve got to use very specific keywords that shoppers are actively using to search. Google is constantly scanning websites and then indexing them so they can recommend products that match consumer's search terms. If you ignore your titles and descriptions, your items may as well be hiding under a rock! But, early on, I prioritized efficient day-to-day communication over being the SEO (search engine optimized) queen. Regardless, I still wouldn't change this decision.

Now, every Rheirloom gets a lovely human name. When purchasing a piece from a family member, I often ask who owned it before. If I can use one of those names, I will. I tend to lean toward older names and often hunt for ethnic names from various cultures. Here’s where it gets tricky: gender association. Most of our pieces end up with traditionally feminine names, but occasionally one feels more masculine, and I'll give it a name that would impress any manly man. Personally, I have a very androgynous name—Casey, the name with no boundaries! In high school, I even received military recruitment letters addressed to "Mr" -  Ugh.

Finding names is always a blast. In the beginning, I matched the first letter of the brand name to guide me—Drexel got "D" names and Bassett got "B" names. However, since there are only so many “D” names (not to mention that I didn’t want to run out of options like a kid at a candy store), I’ve started to stray from that strategy. 

If you pick a Rescue piece that’s ready for customization, you can rename it something meaningful to you—just like how becoming a pet parent means giving your new furry friend an exotic name like Sir Fluffington! I’ve also had chats with new customers where they refer to a piece by name.“I saw ‘Fanny’ at a party, and I need one for my home.” Seriously, who knew furniture could become the next topic of hot gossip? 

Naming them gives each piece life and helps express their history, experiences, and often their survival story. I’m also diving deeper into the storytelling aspect in our descriptions of each piece. If there’s a true tale behind where a piece came from, why not share it? Our product descriptions now tell stories that are both, a little real, but mostly imagined. I hope a sprinkle of our melodramatic flair gives you a good chuckle or two!

Thank you so much for following our journey! Don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me know what you think.