A Baltimore café owner has relinquished the trademark ‘Hon’ after a storm of controversy.
Denise Whiting, who runs Café Hon, announced she would give up the mark after a backlash against it began to affect business.
‘Hon’, short for Honey, is an important word in Baltimore and is synonymous with the city’s working class past.
But citizens took exception to Ms. Whiting’s apparent commercialization of the word and began shunning the eatery, with sales down 25 per cent.
“I am no longer am going to hold a registration, a trademark, on the word ‘Hon’ due to all the animosity and all the hatred and all the anger and passion that this little word that’s felt in the hearts of so many,” Ms. Whiting was quoted as saying by ABC News.
She had held the trademark for ten years.
Baltimore residents welcomed the decision.
“I’m glad that she’s realized that maybe she should pay attention to the people that go in and are her bread and butter,” said Karl Ford of Hampden.