Business as Usual for Most After Counterfeit Raid
by Annie Shreffler (full credits after article)
Mayor Bloomberg and Rolex executives are pleased with this week’s Chinatown crackdown on counterfeits. But those who frequent Canal street vendors can still find fake handbags despite a block of shuttered shops.
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Sitting inside his corner news kiosk near Centre Street, the “newspaper man,” as he identified himself, said he doesn’t like how police closed down the entire block. He said it seems the vendors selling counterfeit goods could have been closed individually, rather than putting so many employees out of work.
“They lose their livelihood. The little guys always suffer,” he said.
The mayor’s Special Enforcement Unit, with police from Precinct 5, targeted building owners George and Carl Terranova. The city won a restraining order to barricade 32 vendor shops in their building, and began a lawsuit against the Terranova estate for building codes violations. The owners must demonstrate that any new tenants will sell legitimate goods before the stores can open again.
The Lucky Stone shop on the corner of Center and Walker streets was still open, displaying water fountains and carved stone dragons, and giving some life to the empty walk and graffitied, metal gates on neighboring stores.
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Robert, the shop’s owner, said he was grateful to police supervisors who allowed him to reopen after not finding any counterfeit items. But he did lose a day and a half of business.
“It’s slow today, too,” he said, explaining that foot traffic was light because most stores on his block were closed.
Just across the street, hawkers whispered designer names to shoppers as they moved through the busy crowd. A group of tourists from Texas were disappointed not to find the same fake Prada bags they had picked up on Canal Street the year before.
Tun, an immigrant from Viet Nam, walked the street gingerly but stopped to offer a laminated card with pictures of designer bags for sale. Returning later, he pulled out a small bag from his jacket and unwrapped it for a photo.
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Related Articles/Links City Agents Shut Down 32 Vendors of Fake Items Brassy bootleggers still hawk fakes The Dark Underbelly of Counterfeit Handbag
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On a good day, Tun will make $80 from selling bags, of which he pays $15 a day to rent a room in an apartment.
When asked why he came to New York City, Tun said, “It’s the Big Apple: very, very sweet!”
Tun said his boss imports thousands of dollars worth of knock-off goods to resell on the street.
In front of the closed shops, an NYPD detective packed away confiscated handbags, belts and wallets. She stopped to talk with two women over the metal barricade set up to enforce the restraining order. The detective explained in Chinese that they cannot have access to their grocery and bamboo shop until they returned with letters of permission.
“No illegal!” one of the women declared, and her friend explained she has been a vendor for five years in what Mayor Bloomberg called the “counterfeit triangle.” She refused to be interviewed, but turned back after leaving the barricade to rub her eyes with her fists—expressing her sadness to be out of work.
Credits:
Written and Reported by Annie Shreffler
Photos by Roisin O’Connor-McGinn
Video by Mathew Warren
Edited and Produced by Rosaleen Ortiz
February 29th, 2008 at 1:30 am
[…] to anyone, so is it worth the hassle? Why or why not?You can decide after reading and listening to more of their stories whether or not you would close shops and confiscate the stolen […]
March 1st, 2008 at 12:30 am
We are interactive mavens… almost… have a good weekend Ros!
March 5th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
[…] to anyone, so is it worth the hassle? Why or why not?You can decide after reading and listening to more of their stories whether or not you would close shops and confiscate the illegal […]
April 10th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I just got back from NYC on Sat - it was a major bummer to travel all the way from MN and NOT have a bag to show for it. We had lots of fun subwaying all over, did the museums, and saw a few shows. But, the fun is in the chase and the bartering with the shopkeepers for my Fendi or a Hermes bag ( I got one last spring.) I have real LV Speedy and a real LV wallet. It is fun to seek and barter and bring the girlfriends along for a day in Chinatown. We were patrons at several restaurants in the area too. I just don’t get the big photo op with the ‘Mayor’s seal’ etc. Go clean up the pickpocketing and such and lowlife, leave Chinatown alone.