Neiman Marcus targets thrift store's name

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COLOMBIA, S.C., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A South Carolina thrift shop supporting a women's shelter said retailer Neiman Marcus is trying to get it to change the store's name.

Debbie McDaniel, who opened the thrift store Revente's Last Call two years ago in Colombia, and donates 100 percent of the shop's profits to the local Women's Shelter, said she received a letter Friday from Neiman Marcus officials saying they want the name changed because it could be confused with Last Call by Neiman Marcus, the company's clearance store, The State, Colombia, reported Tuesday.

Neiman Marcus, which operates its nearest Last Call store more than 220 miles away in Lawrenceville, Ga., said it has owned the trademark on "Last Call" for clothing sales since 1993 and McDaniel must change the name of her thrift shop.

"I'm just sad that something that was started strictly for good has come under fire," McDaniel said.

Ginger Reeder, a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, said the company wants an "amicable resolution." She said the company can't pick and choose when to protect its trademarks.

"We're not trying to shut them down. We're not trying to get in the way of their good work," she said. "What we do need to protect is our trademark. We have to be consistent."