What’s happening to Canal Street? Is the mecca of shoddy counterfeit merchandise, shitty electronics devices, and watered down cologne undergoing a change? I was walking past this “fashion” store on the corner of Canal and Church St…
…when I noticed these signs posted:
Huh, I thought. OK, so someone cared to shut down one of the approximately hundred stores selling knock off Rolexes and fake designer handbags. But then I was walking down Cortlandt Alley a few blocks East…
…and noticed these signs posted over a store.
My guess is, this store was shut down like the first, and part of the subsequent punishment is to have these signs up. But is there a larger crackdown underway?
Then, on my way back down Canal (btw. Lafayette and Broadway), I noticed that this string of former bootleg stores is being completely renovated. Something tells me we won’t be seeing closet-sized vendors hawking counterfeit sunglasses when they’re finished.
Meanwhile, across the street, more renovations seems to be underway for another line of former bootleg outlets.
Canal Street has certainly been changing in the ten years or so I’ve been in the city. A Starbucks, major banks, and legit establishments have been slowly but surely edging out the bootleggers and thrift joints. Does anyone really care? I certainly don’t. Nothing kills me more than when I hear people say they are going to Chinatown, and what they really mean is Canal Street. Canal Street is not Chinatown – it’s a string of shitty stores that no one but tourists shop in, and I really have no problem if it all gets replaced. If you feel it adds character to the city, please explain why in a comment!
Update! I was just walking past the shut-down shop in the first picture when I saw an elderly Asian woman out front being arrested by a plainclothes cop. There were at least 20 of the dudes who regularly sell bootleg stuff on the street waiting around, and I wonder if they were there to pick up merchandise from her. To be fair, there’s no evidence to prove she was associated with the closed down shop. Also, to clarify, I’m not advocating that Canal Street become a boring strip of Starbucks and Barnes and Nobles. But honestly, just about anything is better than what’s there now.
-SCOUT
To someone who doesn’t live in NYC, there is nothing like the “Chinatown” shopping experience. Being able to look at a cacophony of sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, bags in that kind of atmosphere is really exciting. That’s why people go. Losing that will mean losing a part of the unique character of NYC- and for what? Another freakin’ Starbucks???? Booooooo.
AMEN brothah! close the shit down. The “reals” vs the plastic wannabes- “get a real job- you low life sellers of pretend good stuff”. In fact- close down the “good” stuff too, It’s not even pretty.
They must be cracking down on copyright / trademark / intellectual property rights infringements – probably 75% of the merch sold in those stores along Canal St. is / are Chinese “knockoffs”.
One of the funniest sights I’ve seen in the city was a guy unloading a van of knock off Vuitton stuff near Canal while wearing a suit (pants, jacket and vest) glasses, shoes, hat and gold chain all made with matching brown background, “LV” logo fabric.
The NYPD has been on a huuuge crackdown of the Canal Street counterfeiters, because of what they cost NYC in lost tax revenue:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/city-raids-counterfeit-triangle-shutting-32-storefronts/?scp=1&sq=canal%20street%20counterfeiting&st=cse
4-5 years ago I worked in an office at 28th & Broadway. At the time, that was a center of counterfeit merchandise: cheap perfume, hiphop clothing knockoffs, bootleg DVDs and other crap. One day I saw about a dozen men just running down the street, away from a police car.
That neighborhood doesn’t seem to be a counterfeit center anymore. I’m sure it will pop up somewhere else.
@MissPinkKate
Agreed 100%
This may be my humble opinion, but I don’t particularly agree that something that “adds character to a city” (or anythign for that matter) must necessarily be good thing….. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning liquor stores, prostitution and squeegy men in my neighborhood, BUT there SHOULD be a certain degree of seediness associated with Chinatown and NYC as a whole…
I applaud the Giuliani era for putting more cops on the street, driving the murder rate into the ground and other quality of life crimes.
You can see anything, meet anyone, experience everything and buy everything in NYC. However much these ant sized bootlegging stands are hurting the $100 leather square inch purse manufacturers must be negligible enough to be tolerated.
Let’s face it, a sterile NYC is not fun OR interesting for both tourists AND residents.
The word “Counterfeit” should only apply when deception is intended and the receiver of the goods is in fact deceived. Do the sellers actually think they are fooling anyone? Is there a single tourist dumb enough to think they actually bought an $800 bag for $20? No one isn’t in on the joke.
The number of people who buy knockoff merchandise on Canal Street who would instead pay full price up on Madison if there were no knockoffs is close to zero.
That said, if they do manage to shut down that avalanche of stupid crap, I sure won’t miss it.
“BUT there SHOULD be a certain degree of seediness associated with Chinatown and NYC as a whole…”
This is the kind of thing that is often said by people in our privileged times who never had to directly deal with the seediness. It’s one thing to watch movies featuring gritty New York in the 1970s and 1980s and be enchanted by its tough-guy atmosphere. It’s another to have actually lived here, and have had to risk getting raped or mugged just walking through Times Square.
A city is an evolving organism, and when you start institutionalizing seediness, you’re trying to turn it into a museum, an Epcott version of what it used to be. You can’t work desperately hard to make NYC the safest city in America, then turn your eye away from some aspects of crime to make it feel “a little more real.” One of the downsides of the city’s rejuvenation is its sterilization – it sucks, I agree, but it’s something you cannot stop. And hey, for those who are looking for New York seediness? It’s still around! Take a ride out to East New York/Brownsville and walk around. Seriously, just take the 3 Train to the New Lots Ave stop and walk around for a few hours. You can experience all the seediness you want.
“That’s why people go. Losing that will mean losing a part of the unique character of NYC- and for what?”
In regard to this argument, I feel the same way about this as I would if I lived in Kennebunkport, Maine, or North Conway, NH, and someone told me they were getting rid of the outlet stores. Good riddance! When I visit a city as a tourist, I like to experience 1) the historical landmarks that have distinguished the city (Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Grand Central, etc., etc.) and 2) the modern city that is actually used by its residents (neighborhoods, restaurants, stores, etc.). Canal Street has no place in either category – it’s not used by New Yorkers, and there’s nothing of value to it. What’s the point when it could be replaced by something of actual use?
Finally, Andrew? “No one isn’t in on the joke.” Man, I used to think this until I met a girl from the midwest last year who was AMAZED that she had just bought a Gucci handbag for $40 when it should have cost $800. When I suggest it, uh, might not be real, she showed me the label as proof. What was I to say?
i find it really strange that you think that canal street doesnt add character to the city. i think its a quintessential “only in new york” kind of place. why is something invalid just because tourists love it. should disneyland be torn down just because its mostly visited by tourists? sure there is a lot of crap being sold on canal street, but that is its appeal. nowhere else in america can you find such an enormous compilation of sellers with these types of products. even if you dont want to buy the crap that is being sold it is still a fantastic spectacle. plus just because the people who own and run and work in these stores look chinese, doesnt mean that they are not new yorkers. and there are a hell of a lot of people, new yorkers, that live above these stores on canal street.
I bought my watch on Canal St. I know it’s fake but it keeps time, looks nice, and only cost $5. I always tell people it’s a knock off. Why would anyone, especially someone who specializes in finding unique locations, want to continue the mall chain-ization of every urban area?
I feel kind of sad when I see new york changing in this way. You do loose a lot of character. Canal street is nothing like it used to be. It won’t be chain stores that spring up, but ugly condo buildings full of douchy snobs! Is that really better than the hustle and bustle and unique atmosphere that used to prevail here?
i live on canal street, between broadway and church,and the character of the neighborhood is what drew me there. the sea of people, the cops, the street vendors, and it’s ideal location (something like ten different subway trains converge there) make it one of my favorite NYC neighborhoods.
i’m not crazy about the bootleggers, but i’m curious to find out how they, for the most part, get away with what they’re doing.
Yes, finally there is a crackdown on this profitable and illegal activity. I minored in City Gov (useless for the most part) and our current Mayor is behind this illegal activity.
As an artist et al, I often went to China town for supplies but as well being a rescuer of turtles/fish sold there illegally (eggs mined from the wild and anything under four inches, possession of even, meaning if you buy one there or elsewhere, is illegal) where most face slow horrific deaths (45 years experience plus degrees in biology).
After taking in over 50 turtles as one woman tossed them into the garbage (upside down in water ie will drown) and a cop came by and said “I could have them”… I stopped going as I could not do it any more in that volume.
Try finding good homes (50 to 100 gallon set ups) for each turtle (did)…. I went down years later and was surprised to see this “crack” down in operation (ie cops were in action at the moment) which cost legitimate manufacturers billions world wide… and in in truth along with illegal turtle sells, part of the mob. I asked the police officer if they were doing anything about the illegal sells of red eared sliders, and he said yes they were. (hopefully sent to sanctuaries but most are overwhelmed when people realize they can not care for them – and reason why impulse buying of living creatures is always a bad idea.)
I came to NYC decades ago, and I loved the then Little Italy (almost gone now) and Chinatown (one stop shopping for great supply of materials (sculpture for me) fresh foods, and a great variety of items all in one area.
It was NYC’s diversity of neighborhoods (having lived in many of them when rents were cheap and one could scoot about easily) that made NY great MHO of course.
They are greatly “gentrified” and homogenized to the detriment of all.
I go there on occasion for my fish supplies and to exchange items I have for supplies I need (a rare thing in today’s aquarium business – small town feel to a non chain outlet – ie Pacific Aquarium – great guys) I was struck that the “look” of the place was not much different (on first take – still there) with the Starbucks, same ole banks (overbuilt all over) and many of the places I used to shop at from upholstery, clothing so on, are now long gone.