Rename The Pub Formerly Known as “The Grange”
Decatur Metro | October 16, 2009 | 10:34 amThe Grange’s Darren Comer alerts us to an odd set of circumstances that is causing the three siblings (Jen, Darren and Colin) who own The Grange Public House to change its name.
Darren provided me with a note that’s already been sent to staff, which you can read after the jump. However, beyond that he wants everyone in the Decatur/Atlanta community to know that the Comers haven’t gone (and aren’t going) anywhere, and that instead of getting involved in a drawn out legal confrontation over name rights, or give up their status as a truly independent business, they’ve decided to bite the bullet, change the name, and move on.
In fact it’s pretty evident that they’ve already moved on. They’ve already started a “Rename the Grange” contest where you can win $500 in “Renamed Grange cash” if your new name for the Pub Formerly Known as The Grange is selected as the pub’s new identifier.
Read Darren’s note to staff, which provides a few more details, after the jump.
Rename The Grange
The Grange has enjoyed a brilliant first year thanks to the Decatur community. We have recently been approached by a long-standing agricultural advocacy organization to change our name. While “The Grange Public House” name has symbolic meaning for us as a link to our heritage, it is not however our name, but rather our place in the community that defines us. Staying true to our promise to be a community oriented pub, we are asking you, our patrons and friends, to help us “Rename the Grange.”
Originally naming our pub The Grange connected our Irish heritage with our lives in Atlanta, where the Grange in Ireland often became the hub of social activity in the community. We feel we have succeeded in bringing about such a place – a bit of Dublin in Decatur. It has become a comfortable gathering place that offers food, beverage and a place to chat, which will remain the same regardless of the name.
This name change is timely as we now have a new chef and we continue to expand our menus. Community involvement remains our primary commitment, as we enjoy supporting various charitable and local events and will continue to do so. We are family owned and operated originally from Rathfarnham near the Dublin mountains.
As you ponder ideas for our new name, please keep in mind these values and our authenticity. We want the new name to best reflect who we are, what we are about, and what we will continue to be – a great pub in a great city.
-The Comer Clan
Please submit your ideas for our new name by clicking this link – www.renamethegrange.com or stop by the pub and submit a form while you enjoy a cold pint. Deadline for submission is November 7th. If your idea becomes our new name, you will win $500 in the “Renamed Grange” cash. The name will be revealed later in the year. We will keep you posted on our renaming party and celebration.
Combining previous and current names, “The Grangel.”
I would be tempted to try to annoy the litigants and use something like “The Grangel” as suggested above. Or if the lawyers will claim that’s too close, then I’d try “Free Range”, “The G”, “Home on the Grange”, “The Grunge”.
renamethegrange.com won’t load on my browser, so i’ll submit my suggestion here.
I vote: The Nagger.
It’s an anagram for The Grange, so they can re-use the letters on the sign they already own
Please make $500 check payable to Andisheh Nouraee.
I vote for this too. This is clever but probably can’t be contested by whoever is protecting the “The Grange” name. Who would that be anyway?
Andisheh,
Great idea, if they could somehow imply (Escape from) The Nagger. But I have visions of someone stealing the “A”, turning the sign into a Wheel of Fortune puzzle ala the greatest South Park episode ever.
I can’t see how this advocacy group has any rights in this. They are in a completely different line of business. National Grange is who I’m assuming is complaining. It’ll cost more to change the name than it would to get a good attorney for an easy win.
That’s ridiculous! I can’t believe The National Grange Order can claim to own the name Grange. Its a longstanding term or place name that’s been around hundreds of years. They did not invent the word… appropriated it maybe. Seems analogous to Masons threatening to sue bricklayers who call themselves masons, or cities named Mason. Ah well, I’m sure our Grange folks, while likely having a good case are choosing not to spend thousands of dollars fighting spurious litigation. Good luck to them and a pox on those other grangers
From what I understand “jj” your summation is right on the money. It is ridiculous, but not worth the time and money.
Maybe they’re just objecting to the definite article “THE Grange,” and could live with a less emphatic “A Grange.” Or if that won’t satisfy, “Not the Grange.”
Although I have to say, that hometown of Rathfarnham, Ireland is fun to say and nicely odd. How about “Rathfarnham.” Folks can call it the Rath if they want.
The Rath sounds catchy
If you want to hang onto your anger, call it “The Grudge”.
Only two letters to change.
How about Group Therapy?
Sorry hon, I can’t come over tonight. I have to go to “Group Therapy.”
Great one! An alternate in the same vein would be “Sensitivity Training”.
WWE used to be the WWF. Then the World Wildlife Fund objected to the acronym.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Entertainment#Name_dispute
And then they changed their name to World Wide Fund for Nature
So maybe The Grange should take World Wildlife Fund since no one’s using it.
Or…we could go with “The Decatur Pour House”
Sorry hon, I can’t come over tonight, we got this recession on and I’m stuck in the “Pour House.”
hey,
in college used to have a bar called The Library ….and we were always studying at “The Library”
If you’re willing to really to fight this, I’m sure you could. It becomes a matter of Lawyer vs Lawyer at some point. However…
A quick search shows no national Grange membership in Georgia.
http://www.nationalgrange.org/about/states.htm
Furthermore, there is no other business within the State of Georgia that has the name “The Grange” or any variation (other than Lagrange) registered.
Isn’t this somewhat analogous to a national organization going after a business with “Farmer’s Market” in the title? Seems petty to me.
In its previous incarnation, I thought the Angel was sort of inappropriate for a bar name. So I started calling it the Killer Angel, which I think is a really cool name for a bar. But I doubt the present owners will agree.
If we want to re-use all the letters of The Grange, my vote is for Tagger Hen. That sounds like a classic old pub name.
Red Grange Pub
Or: The Galloping Ghost
“Brick Store West”. It may not free them from litigation, but I bet it packs more folks in!
Or sticking with the anagram theme, “THE ANGER” would also be good. Remove one letter and move one to the end.
And I call BS on their story about naming it The Grange in the first place. I always assumed that they could only afford 2 letters and that was the easiest way to re-do the old Angel sign with them. Kinda like Taco Mac keeping the name from the unrelated business whose building they moved into when they had to choose between re-doing the kitchen or buying a new sign,
Ha! Unfortunately lettering clearly changed when they put up the new sign.
Egg Ran
Here’s a page describing the Evil Grange’s legal project of suing over use of their alleged trademark:
http://www.nationalgrange.org/news-events/GrangeToday/NewGrange.htm#leadstory2
It’s a pretty amazing piece. True or not, the Grange seems to feel that imposters will make millions off of falsely representing themselves as the National Grange and will somehow destroy the Grange’s rights to its own name. Evidently there’s great profit to be made with Grange earrings, ties, car decals, mugs, and DVDs.
By the way, the full name of The Grange (organization, not restaurant) is “The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry” Are “national”, “order”, “patrons”, and “husbandry” also off limits in restaurant names? What about calling the restaurant “The Decatur Grange of the Order of Patrons of Wifery”.
I entered “The Ferryman” in honor of Nelson Ferry Road…
I am both showing my age, and my tremendous store of useless knowledge with this one, but couldn’t you then skip out on the check while singing Chris De Burgh’s “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”?
Should be The Grane Je Public House
Sounds the same
Squarely aimed at annoying the litigators, my suggestion would be “Thug Range”.
The Strange
The Grainje
“The Flange”
the mange
The Minge!
The Binge!
Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag.
Paddy O’Drinkin
How about The All-Comers?
Looks like The National Grange is going to have its hands full suing the pants off:
Hamilton Grange National Memorial, a historic house in New York City
Grange, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide, Australia, pop. 5,238 (2006)
Grange, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, pop. 3731 (2001)
Grange, Douglas, County Cork, a suburb of the city of Cork, Ireland
Grange, County Down, a townland in County Down, Northern Ireland
Grange, County Sligo, Ireland, birthplace of Lola Montez, pop. 225
Grange, County Tyrone, a townland in the parish of Desertcreat, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Grange, County Waterford, a village in the parish of Ardmore Grange, County Waterford, Republic of Ireland.
United Kingdom
Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England (previously in the county of Lancashire, England), pop. 4000
Grange, Cheshire, England, a small suburb on the Wirral Peninsula
Grange, Cumbria
Grange, Dorset
Grange, East Ayrshire
Grange, Kent
Grange, Lancashire
Grange, North East Lincolnshire
Grange, Perth and Kinross
The Grange, Edinburgh, a suburb of Edinburgh
Grange (Southwark ward), an electoral ward in the London Borough of Southwark
Penfolds Grange, a prestigious Australian wine
Fred Grange, historical patriarch of the Stag’s Leap vineyard and corresponding district of Napa Valley, California
don’t forget LaGrange….Georgia.
Four Horseman
Battery
Blitzkrieg
TGPH
In a related story, Hansen Beverage Co, maker of Monster energy drink, is going after a tiny craft brewery in Vermont who has a Barleywine called Vermonster:
http://www.blogaboutbeer.com/2009/10/13/rock-art-brewery-makers-of-the-vermonster-told-to-cease-desist/
I think that the state of Vermont should sue the pants off of Hansen Beverage Co. for usurping its name in the Monster energy drink. Clearly, the company was trying to make money off of the reputation of the Green Mountian (Vert monts in French) state by using a name that sounded like the “monts” of Vermont. Hopefully, all 650,000 or so Vermonters will all stop drinking the Monster. I know I will.
Actually, Vermont probably has an active chapter of The Grange. Maybe our Grange and the Vermont Grange could work together to stop this ridiculous sense of entitlement to names when no harm is being done.
well
it *used to be * “ya yas cajun cuisine”
back in the day
they had zydeco bands [ours] and everything
dave and leslie!
crazy owners..:)
wle.
Ya Yas did rule. And before that it was some sort of new agey theatre.
How about “Gary’s Irish Pub?
They could reuse the G, a and r.
how about “The Strange”or a variation of previously suggested Decatur Pour House and just “The Pour House”
I like “The Strange.” It’s kinda like an “up yours” to The Man.
Try Comer’s, named after the family. No one can take that about from you.
Kiss the Blarney
the lonG range-r
*****
All Comer’s Pub