A Food Hall Is Opening on Canal Street

courtesy Canal Street MarketCould this be the jump-start that Canal Street needs? (At least till the rumored Shake Shack opens?) From Eater:

The Canal Street Market food hall will be debut in November in 12,000-square-feet of space on Canal between Broadway and Lafayette. The 11 vendors confirmed so far include cult favorite bubble tea purveyor Boba Guys, East Village’s Davey’s Ice Cream, and a new concept called Yori Nori from the team behind Chelsea Market Korean ramen shop Mokbar. A retail portion of the market will open in October and features nearly 30 ‘artist and brand booths’ like home goods, ceramics, and flowers.

Too bad it’s not American-themed….

 

14 Comments

  1. Too bad it’s not American themed? Uh, these people are Americans. Sorry you won’t have another Eataly.

    • Note the day of the comment (April 1, 2015) not to mention the content…

      • I noted it but he still posted “Too bad it’s not American-themed” when EVERYTHING that opens in America is ultimately American, ok? Define “American.” Food that is deemed that? How? Why? Based on what? It’s not made by Americans? That’s what it came off like to me and maybe someone else.

        Besides that, it’s opening in Chinatown, so I’d expect non-Eataly food and food like what’s in/around Chinatown. Wishing it was “American-themed” thus an American Eataly as per the link Erik posted is basically wishing there was another (place like) Eataly when there is one down here already, and that’s silly and xenophobic. No, what’s sold at Eataly will not be sold at this place. When in Rome…

  2. Looking forward to this. I hope Canal Street’s transformation will be positive. It’s time for all the knock-off shops to go.

  3. This is very positive news. I am really astounded that there is not more pressure by the community and neighboring legitimate stores to curtail the illegal knock-offs that are regularly sold on Canal Street.
    I find it extremely unpleasant when I am approached by hawkers and generally avoid walking on Canal Street.

    • The Internet is even eating into the Canal Street counterfeiters’ sales!

      Village Voice
      Knockoff: Another Day at the Office — on Canal Street With Counterfeit Vendors
      WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016 AT 9:45 A.M.
      BY ALICE HINES […]

      “Canal Street became a destination for counterfeits in the 1980s. First came Rolexes, then Swiss Army knives, and finally, around 2000, bags, remembers Ching Yeh Chen, president of Pearl River Mart, the iconic Chinatown emporium that occupied a two-story location on Canal and Broadway from 1986 to 2003.

      “The Bloomberg administration brought with it a crackdown on Canal Street counterfeits. In 2008, police raided 32 stores, confiscating over $1 million worth of ersatz Coach bags, Oakley sunglasses, and Rolex watches. That year, 967 people were arrested for trademark counterfeiting in the 1st and 5th precincts, which surround the street, according to New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Services. Since then business has declined — in 2015, only 257 people were arrested for trademark counterfeiting in those precincts — although vendors say that’s not because of a crackdown so much as decreased demand.

      “‘People are buying fakes on the internet,’ Kalidou, a vendor from the Central African Republic, told me, in French. ‘Anyone who’s here now is late.’ Fewer shoppers means less business to go around.

      […]

      “On a busy Saturday before Christmas, a vendor might make $400. On a decent day, he’ll make $100. On the worst days, a cop will spot him and he’ll end up with a fine — $250 if he’s charged with unlicensed general vending, a violation, or up to $1,000 if he’s charged with trademark counterfeiting in the third degree, a misdemeanor.”

      http://www.villagevoice.com/news/knockoff-another-day-at-the-office-on-canal-street-with-counterfeit-vendors-8626379

      • With the advent of lower prices, lower demand and diminished pedestrian traffic I have been told by some of the legitimate merchants on Canal Street that a few individuals have resorted to selling drugs rather than selling illegal knock-offs.
        To view my concern as racist, sexist, corporatist or any other “ist” is just plain silly.

  4. Indeed, why aren’t these counterfeit stores just shut down for good?

  5. marcus, are you a shareholder in luxury good companies? or do you just generally want to further concentration of wealth? why are you opposed to this form of wealth redistribution from corporate behemoths to immigrants who make a tiny bit of cash. david fink, why do you find it “unpleasant” to be approached? do you think they are going to rob you? racist.

    • Hey Ben if you’re gonna call someone a racist at least read their name. It’s Larry Fink, not “david fink”. Dumbass.

      How is it “racist” that Larry not david Fink has an unpleasant feeling when being approached by hawkers? That’s how he feels, deal with it. You have no clue what’s in the guy’s heart as well as his name. He didn’t post anything “racist”. ‘Sounds to me like YOU are the one making it a racial issue and why? So what if the people who approach him and others are black, Asian, or whatever? What’s your deal? I don’t like being approached by them either, and I could give a fuck what race they are. I don’t like them there because there is always the possibility for violence among them to competition, imagined/real turf encroachment, etc. Besides that IT’S ILLEGAL TO SELL COUNTERFEIT GOODS. So I would not care one bit if these people were shut down for good – good riddance. Everyone else sells legit goods, pays sales tax etc. Why should these people who by and large pay zero income taxes thus are tax cheats, too, be allowed to break the rules? Spare me the guy who sells counterfeit Gucci bags files a 1040.

  6. No, not at all, in fact I believe there should be more regulation to prevent the extreme income disparities in our country; nevertheless, I believe intellectual property and trademark law is important. There are other legitimate ways for immigrants to make a living.

  7. I just hope this isn’t the death knell of Chinatown…pushed out by rising rents.

    • That is a real concern. I would not want the legit businesses of Chinatown to disappear. Hopefully some core of it will be able to survive.

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