Downtown Bellingham retailer changes name to address ‘a cause important to our staff’
A longtime downtown Bellingham sock retailer has changed its name and also is taking up an important cause.
ModSock announced that it will now be known as Cute But Crazy and is changing its website address to crazysocks.com. The name change also comes with a commitment to use the “crazy socks” brand to fight a longtime stigma and raise funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Owner Urania Shaklee said in an email that she plans to give 1% of all product sales to NAMI. Staff and ownership has not changed and the company will continue to design and produce a line of socks under the ModSocks brand as a separate sister business.
Part of Cute But Crazy’s effort to destigmatize mental illness is through its reclamation of the word “crazy” with the new business name. On its website, the company acknowledges it is a word that has been used pejoratively against everyone from people suffering with mental illnesses to people who fight for change and justice, and even to strong women who lean in and speak up.
Shaklee wants to reclaim “crazy” from a harmful word into one that inspires delight, pointing out that the earliest meaning had nothing to do with mental state, but meant simply cracked or broken, a meaning that persists in art like crazed crackle-glazed pottery and the sewing of crazy quilts.
“To do this after nine years of business is not easy, but we feel our new name and rebrand better reflect the values and vibe of our retail business and position our company to make a difference for a cause important to our staff and our community alike,” Shaklee said.
The company’s new logo shows a magician’s hat with rainbow-stripe sock-clad feet poking up like rabbit ears to convey the whimsical, magical energy of the brand.
Cute But Crazy’s store is at 1323 Cornwall Ave., and is open 12-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It has more than 1,500 different styles of socks on display.
Founded in 1979, NAMI provides support for people living with mental health conditions and educates the public to help destigmatize mental illness.
