Ye Not Soe Olde Marketing
“Ye Olde Gift Shoppe” sounds somehow more authentic to some modern ears. It suggests a time, long past, when food, drink or goods were of greater quality, when life was slower and more genuine. This is not in any way true, of course, but why let facts intrude? In the early 20th Century and before, roads and streets were clogged with immense piles of horse leavings, foods and products were adulterated and frequently unsafe and, without basic medicines, people died young of simple ailments. Turns out, “Ye Olde” itself isn’t true, but rather of the result of mid-19th Century marketing. To make their pubs seem more ancient, English publicans, circa 1852, appended Ye Olde to the names and the practice caught on. Americans, knowing too much is not enough, added “pe” to shop, assuming that improved things as well. What nobody knew is Ye Olde isn’t even based on linguistic reality. Here’s the truthe.