Punning stunners of London shops

If there's one way a small business can stand out on a crowded high street, it's with a clever and original name.

Something witty and memorable such as Crusty Bloomers (a bakery), The Codfather (a fish and chip shop) or Pizza Punani. The kind of name that shouts to the world, 'Hey, we're here, we've got a sense of humour, and we can afford a decent signwriter.'

It's bound to be good for busi-ness. Let's face it, Thanks a Bunch has far more appeal to passing trade than West End Flowers. And a rose from anywhere other than Austin Flowers would surely not smell half as sweet.

The trend for clever shop monikers started back in the Eighties. Previously, salons and florists tended to take their name from their proprietors, with everyone going to Mario's on the high street for a 'shag' before popping in to Barbara's Blooms for a bunch of carnations. By the mid-Eighties, though, things had to work a bit harder as the world went unisex and with that came the requisite bad pun above the door. Florists and hairdressers were among the first to take to the trend - no doubt because key words such as cut, hair and bloom offer the kind of wordplay opportunities that just aren't there with dry and cleaner. And the fact that many comedy shop names have endured speaks volumes about our love for all things nostalgic.

Who doesn't still have a special place in their heart for that Lady Di wedge hairstyle obtained from Cut Above in 1982? Puffball skirts, shoulder pads and endowment mortgages have all been and gone, but it's comforting to know that both Camden Locks and Curl Up & Dye are still going strong out there.

In the intervening years, the popularity of the trend has broadened to include fish and chip shops, second-hand clothing stores and all manner of sofa warehouses. And with them comes increasingly sophisticated wordplay. Galerie Singleton - an art gallery or a gift shop, depending on whether you shop in N1 or WC1 - has a beauty in its simplicity, yoking a children's TV presenter with an art space via one single key (mis)stroke. Genius. And it's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face every time you pass. Being too cool, too clever, though, somehow misses the mark. Even the curtain warehouse Making Tracks is more inspired than the pub in Brighton smugly called The Office. 'Home soon, honey, I'm just leaving The Office,' really is only funny once.

Generally, however, the clever trading name is the preserve of the small business with more imagination than marketing budget. And you have to admire them for it. Especially when they come up with a gem like Forest Gate's haberdashery emporium - 007: Licence to Sell Belts. The glorious juxtaposition of Bond and buttons creates the kind of joke that just keeps on giving. And, hey, if it helps them shift bobbin cases, then good luck to them...