Get To Know Copper & Holly - What's In A Name?

We have for the last 9 years traded under a different name: a business that spanned our cabinet making workshop, our cook shops and our Christmas Barn.  However at the end of 2019, and before the COVID crisis hit, we decided to close all of our cook shops, and that I, Annabelle would focus all my energy and time on the Christmas Barn, break it away from the rest of the business, and let it flourish with it’s own identity.  Now our previous name was quite simply our married name, and our farm name.  Easy.  But what to call our Christmas Barn without sounding too corny?  Well, during 2020 we decided to branch out into the world of pumpkins and to open up a small shop in the cider barn (where the Christmas shop originated) down by the house, so the new name needed to incorporate Autumn too…

So where did the name Copper & Holly come from?  

Originally we wanted to call it Copper & Ivy, but because there’s already a restaurant on the South Coast called this, we changed our minds!  When we tried to think of an alternative Christmas plant, it really did become obvious, and as it happens, the new name actually has far more meaning behind it.

Copper

• the metallic of the brown spectrum, copper just conjures up images of fallen leaves with the dew glistening on them in the morning sunshine.  And it works so well with autumnal colours too, oranges, mustard yellows, and browns are brightened up with a dash of copper.
• it represented the new direction of the business with our Autumn barn, open during October only for select homewares, clothing, and pick your own pumpkins and sunflower seed heads (for the dicky-birds)
• and believe it or not, hair colour!  Not only are both Holly (our daughter) and I copper haired(!), red hair also runs prominently in Gwilym’s family, with his own mum having long, flowing ginger locks when she was younger.

Holly

• it’s the name of our only daughter, who was born shortly after Christmas
• the leaves and berries of a holly tree are a proud beacon of brightness, standing out proudly and vividly in a world of grey clouds and snow
• and I’ve a fascination with tree lore, and Holly is particularly steeped in folklore history - well known for it’s protective magic, and keeping evil spirits afar and at bay.  And let’s face it, we could all do with a bit of that magic at the moment.

So there you have it.  Our business name is loaded with importance as it represents our family and our beliefs, and most unusual business names are too!  The next time you see a business with an unusual name, ask them about it, and you can be part of their story too.

Next Post →