One of the many uses of heraldry, and one which goes back literally for centuries, is the application of an heraldic element for use as a trade, or even inn, sign.
This ancient (well, to we folks in the United States, anyway*) usage can still be seen in modern use today.
For example, there was this little sign over a shop in old Canterbury:
It's not quite an heraldic crest; it's on a hill or mound instead of a torse or wreath, but still ....
It is, of course, a crabapple tree, and marks the shop of Crabtree & Evelyn on Burgate Street in Canterbury. So this sign has not only the advantage of being nearly heraldry, it is canting near-heraldry. (Canting heraldry is heraldry that is a pun on the name; examples include the bird bolts in the arms of Bolton, a bow in the arms of Boven, bird wings in the arms of Wingfield, and so on.)
Of course, as an Appleton, I found it especially attractive. So be it.
* It has been remarked that the difference between Europeans and Americans is that Europeans think that a hundred kilometers is a long way, and Americans think that a hundred years is a long time.
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