What's a gable again?

It's one of those names that might make people scratch their heads unless they've had a spin with Anne (with an "e") Shirley and her Green Gables - but even then they may be unfamiliar with this architectural element.

Let me explain.

So this is a gable - simple, right?

Some buildings have a decorative gable (seen in next photo).

And some building have REALLY decorative gables (seen in the last photo).

And this is Gable House as we found it:

See the gable? Yup, it's the big triangle thing up there.

This feature on this building is pretty distinctive - there aren't many like it in Mifflinburg, and I like that.

But why would we choose an architectural feature to name the bakery? Trust me, this was not a thoughtless decision.

You should see the list of names I went through. Everything from "Mifflinburg Bakery" (BORING - but traditional) to "Nik Nak Nita" (WEIRD - but catchy) to "Nikki's" (NARCISSISTIC - but accurate) to "Cheerio, Chestnut!" (ARE WE IN BRITAIN? - but everyone would say it with a British accent). I wanted a name that would encapsulate who we are and most of all remind me why I'm doing what I'm doing. It couldn't be too feminine sounding; it had to be memorable; it had to flow off the tongue; it had to be PERFECT.

"Gable House Bakery" sounds like what it is - a small-town bakery without any airs. Right feeling: check.

Upon a bit of research, I found that the name "Gable" is actually derived from the Hebrew for "God is my strength". And oh golly, there's no way this is getting accomplished without God being my source of strength. Gable House: 2 - Cheerio Chestnut: 1ish maybe.

One of the things that really drove my heart was this idea of raising people up - really helping them to go from where they are to reaching their full potential. I wanted this to be a place that encouraged Mifflinburg to reach its potential, to shoot for the gables. Even more specifically yet, my dream for this bakery is to eventually employ people who are in need of that kind of encouragement - to be given a hand-up. And the gable is the highest point on the building. Motivational: check.

The word "Gable" also serves as an acronym for remembering the mission of this bakery. Now we're getting fancy:

Goodness Actively Brightens Lives Everyday. Acronymable: check.

Gable House came out the victor in my list of names.

Your curiosity should be well subdued by now. I'm not sure which of those explanations resonates best with you, but I hope you learned something about the heartbeat of this business. Ultimately, it's not about me or my family or how good we are at baking - it's really about helping this community and seeing the people in it reach for the gables.