A-1 Beginnings to Southernmost Ends, Phone Books Tell Stories

 

In the era when homes relied solely on telephone landlines, businesses vied for visibility on page one of the phone book. They achieved this by utilizing a simple yet effective strategy: combining the first letter of the alphabet and the number 1 to create memorable names. Examples include A-1 Action Plumbing, A1A Carpet Care, AA Auto Body or AAA Accurate Legal Services. It was location, location, location even in the white pages.

 

In Key West, merchants take a different approach, beginning their business names with the nineteenth letter of the alphabet. This results in notable monikers such as Southernmost Surf Shop, Southernmost Hockey Club, Southernmost Nail Bar & Spa, and Southernmost Veterans of Foreign Wars.

 

Just thirty feet from the popular Southernmost Point Buoy stands The Southernmost House Hotel where twenty presidents and dignitaries have stayed. Despite its small size, it boasts a prime location that offers the southernmost guest room in the continental United States. Presumably, it has an A-1 view.