The thing with nicknames is you either hate them or love them, but either way, eventually they grow on you. 

by Joy Brigham Taylor

Judging from the attention and chatter around town, I think “WeHa” is starting to grow on people. While it still seems to grate on the nerves of some of my fellow natives (as evidenced by the comments on the “You know you grew up in West Hartford, CT if…” Facebook page), it does seem to be catching on, albeit reluctantly for some.

One commenter stated: “I cringe every time I go to the We-Ha.com website or Facebook page. But …(it) is the best place for local news. My wife and daughter both embrace the We-Ha ‘brand’ but I think it sounds pretentious and stupid.”

I must say, I didn’t immediately embrace this WeHa name. I have deep West Hartford roots and didn’t like the ostentatious spin on our town’s name at first. While my emotions weren’t as visceral as others, it did take me a while to embrace the term of endearment.

I was born in West Hartford right as my baby-boomer siblings were coming of age. I went to the original Smith School, attended Plant Junior High for one year before it closed, then went to King Philip for 8th grade, and graduated from Hall.  I can rattle off some of the old sentimental destinations with the best of ‘em – from Friendly’s, Howard Johnson’s, and Farm Shop, to the places in the “I-still-miss-them” category, including Connoisseur Shop, Creative Playtime, Bazilians and S.P. Dunns. But hey, we still have Park Lane Pizza. (Hello, it’s exactly the same 40 years later!)

My first job was at Imprint (then parent company of West Hartford News). I met my husband in West Hartford, and I got married and bought my first house in town, and still attend church in West Harford. So, as part of the We-Ha.com team, I’m “all about West Hartford” as they say, and most of my dearest friends are West Hartfordites (yikes, another irk-inducing label!). Full disclosure: I live in Farmington now, but pretty much do all of my “living” in West Hartford – from banking to shopping.

When it comes down to it, WeHa (or We-Ha) is just a catchy nickname – think of the Pat’s and Bob’s you know – nicknames, that’s all! Big cities are accustomed to nicknames … I wonder if  “Windy City” or “Big Apple” was frowned upon at first? I remember the eye rolls with SoHo, and closer to home we have SoNo and now those monikers are second nature.

I feel compelled to quote Shakespeare: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” Long live WeHa.