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1. Nashville Lappy Hour, Nashville, Tenn.
A funny thing happens when people take their dogs to the bar. Nashville Lappy Hour started as a way for Jenny Clough to promote her mortgage business. It has since evolved into a wacky social event that neighbors, humans and maybe even dogs look forward to each month. The venue, more often than not, is a local Nashville watering hole (see "Nashville Lappy Hour mixes dogs and drinks"). The business provides a way for dog lovers to meet other dog lovers in an environment that's more fun than a dog park or a training class. The varieties of sizes and breeds that attend provide plenty of entertainment, along with plenty of comedy, kisses and drool.
2. 10FootDrillBit.com, Dalton, Ga.
Not many people want a 10-foot-long drill bit -- until they need one. That's where Burt Wingfield comes in. With one of his bits, you can run a wire through an entire story of a house by drilling down through the plates and cross braces from the attic to the crawl space. Then pull your wire back up without fishing for the hole. Apparently, one of his first customers, the U.S. government, is using the bits to clean out the locking mechanisms for missile silos. Wingfield says friends and relatives laughed at his idea until they realized how easy it makes running new wires. "Now they call me to borrow my bit."
3. Murder Mystery Maniacs, Chicago
In just four years, David Wachtendonk's company has created 40 murder-mystery scenarios and catered to 40,000 guests. Murder Mystery Maniacs is a themed party service that you can hire out to produce your own wacky event. The company's suite of offerings includes adult murder mysteries, teen murder mysteries, corporate murder mysteries and custom murder mysteries. It's that last one that has us wondering . . .
4. FlameKA.com, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Ross Bolton wants to "hot-rod your kitchen," offering an easy way to customize KitchenAid stand mixers. Flames, cow spots or diamond plate, the company sends you the kit and you do the jazzing up. It's better than a naked mixer, right?
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5. Slumber Parties, Pottstown, Pa.
Renee O'Brien is a distributor for Slumber Parties, the $54 million Baton Rouge, La., company that provides in-home parties for women, offering lingerie, lotions, potions and "toys" of an adult nature. O'Brien not only throws hot parties, but she has achieved a sizzling financial return from her wacky work as well. Renee prides herself on creating "hilarious, educational evenings for women eager to learn about taking charge in the bedroom and in their lives."
6. Lucky Eye Apparel, New York
Meaningful apparel with magical protection. That's Stella Rubinshteyn's slogan. She says her clothing line provides potent protection from "evil eyes" and counteracts "evil looks." It's kind of a spiritual vaccine against negative energy. She says her clothes even attract luck, success and prosperity. Definitely wacky to some people, but meaningful to others. The Lucky Eye line was inspired by the ancient evil-eye amulet (a blue eyeball bead) that's popular in Mediterranean regions.
7. Chasing Attire, Pittsburg, Kan.
Aric Ross' Chasing Attire is a high-end retailer of canine couture fashions and designer dog apparel. It offers "exquisite labels" for your pampered pet that feature premium materials, refined designs and high-quality craftsmanship. Posh pooches will quickly become fashion titans -- whether contemporary, vintage or pop star, this canine clothier is ready.
8. ConformaTies, Malakoff, Texas
When asked what his most valuable technology is, C. Mark Redden answered, "My mind." That simple but wacky response earned Redden a finalist spot. He's a true dyed-in-the-wool inventor and the creator of ConformaTies, a patented designer necktie label that he expects will replace traditional labels. His labels incorporate several buttonholes, thus eliminating the need for tie tacks, tie pins and other accessories that are designed to keep a tie conformed to the body.
9. L.B. Soc, Detroit
Though it's wacky, we think Denise Reed's idea may be a winner. She's in the business of manufacturing and marketing a nighttime grooming aid for the wearers of locs, braids and other natural hairstyles. (Locs, like dreadlocks, is an ethnic style in which the wearer's hair is grown into long ropelike coils.) L.B. Soc is a hair snood, or sock, that completely encases the hair. Each one is made of 100% silky-soft polyester knit fabric. Reed makes all of them herself and markets them through her Web site.
10. Reapalife, Harrisonburg, Va.
The Rev. Nikitah Okembe-Ra Imani's Reapalife is also listed in our Worldliest category. It's touted as an Afri-centric, Judeo-Christian revolutionary multimedia company attempting to fuse music, art and education from different cultural backgrounds to create positive social change. The owner has renamed his residence Africa House. What pushed us over the edge was this wacky statement in an e-mail he sent us:
My co-workers are from the underground . . . former athletes, parolees, drug dealers and users, and scholars. Trying to bring the 'hood to the college for uplift.
Published Nov. 5, 2007
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