Street shopping for bargains, and fun
Written: Nov 05 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting wares, especially in Soho, bargains
Cons: Quality may be uneven, some of this stuff is not being sold legally
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| Profilewriter's Full Review: New York City |
Review Topic: Shopping
While it is largely illegal, street peddling has been flourishing in New York City for as long as I can remember. In fact, back in the early 1970s when the spouse's union ordered him out on strike days after I had quit my job so that we could go to Europe, where we spent our last penny, he and I sold suede belts on street corners.
There are several areas in Manhattan where street peddlers flourish, and each has a somewhat different flavor.
Times Square
Last Christmas, my older son was up from Atlanta and the two of us went into the city to meet the spouse for dinner. With a little time on our hands, we swung by Times Square. My son was agog. Could not believe the bargains on the street. He grabbed a pair of what were purportedly Oakley sunglasses and a set of kitchen knives to give a friend for Christmas, and also some men's cologne.
Most of the time there are street peddlers in Times Square, but not always. And the police keep them moving. The most common items sold on the sidewalk are watches, t-shirts, sunglasses and, sometimes, bootleg movies. Peddlers do not stay put for long here, but generally re-emerge from side streets after the police pass by.
Herald Square
The area near Macy's also attracts hit and run street vendors. Goods are similar to those in Times Square except, for some reason, there are more phones here, and more perfume and cologne too.
A little further downtown, on the streets stretching about ten blocks down on Sixth Avenue, there are children's books, pocketbooks, wallets and leather organizers.
Again, the police keep peddlers moving here, so you need to look and buy quickly.
Soho
This downtown area is hopping. Many new stores, galleries, restaurants and coffee houses have opened just in the last year. This is a must see Manhattan neighborhood, and contains the best street shopping in town -- by far.
Artists and craftsmen set out their work on West Broadway. There are gorgeous little handmade caps for infants, picture frames made of hundreds of tiny dried roses, posters, sculpture, computer art, one-of-a kind hats and framed photographs.
Police don't seem to hassle these street vendors, and many return to the same spots week after week.
In addition to the sidewalk art, there are many tables selling pocketbooks (one of the most popular street itmes), sunglasses and jewelry.
Canal Street
Just a few blocks south of the concentration of street peddlers in Soho, Canal Street is a wonderfully crowded street bazaar. Here matrons from Westchester debate whether a Coach bag really is a Coach bag, or merely a knockoff, while recent immigrants who know few English words beyond "Five dollars," set up tables of bootleg movies.
It is barely possible to walk through the sidewalks, but well worth the jostling. Here so many of the diverse elements of New York come together in an area that is part Chinatown, part Little Italy, and all melting pot.
This is the place to come for Gucci and Polo and Coach, quite possibly knockoffs. The matrons who examine the bags and sweaters and polo shirts from every angle have trouble deciding, and I'm sure I don't know.
There are also many bootleg movies that hit the streets the day the films hit theaters. And there are CDs and electronics too. Very popular this year are three-button knit shirts from Polo that go for $7 each.
Is it legal?
It is possible to get a license to sell goods on the streets of New York, but, as the spouse and I found out three decades ago, the licenses restrict peddling to parts of the city where the number of passersby varies from a few to none. I think areas under the bridges were included, but little else.
Many of the items being sold almost certainly are knockoffs, or items that were manufactured for sale overseas, not in the United States.
Some merchandise is just cheap stuff. That includes the watches I buy on the street. I have become attached to street watches, which sell for between $7 and $10, and will wear no other watch. Top quality they are not, but they last for about a year and I often find styles I like quite a lot.
How cheap is this stuff
Bootleg movies go for $5 each. CDs are about the same. Pocketbooks range from about $8 up to over $40. Shirts and sweaters bearing famous logos cost between $5 and $12. Cologne is usually $5 a bottle, although I recently saw a guy selling it for $1.
Belts cost about $8 each, and leather (or leather-like) organizers can be had for $10.
Artwork varies quite a bit. I bought a framed computer art still life featuring green tulips and stylized skyscrapers two weeks ago for $20 dollars. Sculptures and large oil paintings can be $200 or even $500.
The fun factor
There are treasures out there, and it's great fun to walk along the streets looking, and watching the action around the most popular items. If you get hungry, peddlers selling peanuts, sausage and fruit are never far away.
Recommended:
Yes
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