by Jody Brown

One of the questions I hear most often in our shop is, “Why are you called ‘The Atom’?” My answer is usually precluded by a long pause.

As I fumble for some sort of story, the answer usually ends up somewhere in the realm of “I liked the name”. But this always feels like a let down to the listener.

But Why?

Twenty-one years ago, I was pregnant with my second child. A boy. The stress of naming another human being was on me. What if it doesn’t suit him? What if he hates his name? What if it rhymes with a body part I hadn’t thought of? How do I know if it’s right?

The name rolling around in my head that I couldn’t get rid of: Gordon. After settling on this name, I knew from the expressions on the faces of those I told that this would not have been their first choice for the name of my soon-to-be-infant. I was asked why. Was it a family name? Was there some significance? This is all I knew: It felt right.

Gordon works as a barista at The Atom, and if you know him, you know his name suits him just fine. Originally, I had a back-up. I thought I would call him “Gordy” if “Gordon” was too much name for this child. But it never was. The name Gordon felt right from the beginning, and his character has brought that name to life since day one.

The Atom was created in that same way. I love the name. It was named at a time that my husband and I were embracing the Atomic Age in remodeling our home. The logo was created with science in mind. There is a definite science to the production of a good cup of coffee. The simplicity of the name has allowed us to grow and change to suit the needs of our customers and community. And I truly feel we have brought the name to life as we have evolved over the last three years. After all, atoms are building blocks – and we are building something great in our little shop.

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