One thing that surprised us when we walked through Chinatown was the sheer amount of jewelry stores on Canal St. We learned that this is because the Diamond District of NYC used to be in Chinatown, and although it has moved to around ~47th Street, there are still many jewelry stores on Canal St.
After interviewing some customers, we learned that appearances were very important to the Chinese people living in this neighborhood and thus they loved to display their wealth in the form of jewelry. In addition, some customers also commented on how they would send their relatives in China designer bags from companies such as Michael Kors, Coach, and LV to show all their family and friends how much success they found in America. This may explain why the former Diamond District is still thriving despite many stores moving to the new Diamond District.
Another store that surprised us was the sponge cake store. Although it isn’t really a store that attracts many tourists, it is frequented by the people who live in Chinatown. In fact, when we went to the crowded store, there was an announcement that they would be increasing their prices from 85 cents to a dollar per sponge cake in the summer of 2019. This prompted many audible complaints from customers as they have been used to coming to this store for so long.
An additional surprise was the amount of massage parlors in Chinatown. When walking through Chinatown, we saw a massage parlor on nearly every block. When interviewing some people walking out of the parlors, they told us that they worked extremely long hours and it was refreshing to be able to relax for a short while and have someone work on de-stressing them.
