A Shop for Tops (and maybe for bottoms too)

Long-time reader René sent me this photo of a store in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has wondered whether they provide more than just women's clothing. "I didn't ask so far, but maybe they do in the back" he said.

Well, maybe they do provide other services, or at least one might find serviceable straps and paddles among the handbags and scarves. The name draws a lot of attention to the four shops in various locations throughout the city. Reviews on Yelp regularly mention the name, although not all customers are equally enthusiastic.

"If the name isn't enough to entice you to step in, the clothes, shoes and accessories will do it for you!"

"Great store, crappy name."

You can't please everybody. But about the name. In an interview with the in-house clothing designer, Sylvia Lee explains how it came to be.

Working in Spank has been such pleasure for Lee. But once in a while, some amusing quirks come along, like questions about the store name – why is it called “Spank”?

“People always mistake Spank for something like spanks! [Does she mean Spanx?] It’s really funny!” laughed Lee. “Jana [the owner] came up with the store name. She’s a creative woman, and kind of eccentric in a good way. She just blurts out ideas to get a reaction, and when she was trying to figure out a name for the store, she’s like, ‘Spank!’ She guessed that people would ask, “why is it called Spank?” and maybe because it can be interpreted a certain way…”

She's right. The name got a reaction from me, and I interpreted it that 'certain way'. Wouldn't you?