top of page

Vanishing Storefronts

Photo from 1983 of Pearl River Mart on the corner of Canal and Broadway

Founded in Chinatown in 1971, Pearl River Mart has moved several times in its 49-year history, remaining a favored spot for fun and kitschy Asian-inspired merchandise. In addition to its current location in Tribeca, there are now additional outposts in Chelsea Market and the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA).

Pearl River Mart / 珠江国货公司 

1983

In continuous operation at 6 Bowery from 1814 to 1982, W.M. Olliffe Apothecary was one of the oldest pharmacies in New York City.

Oliffe Pharmacy / 六号药行 and 

Hong Wah Restaurant /  鸿华饭店

1982

Photo of W.M. Olliffe Apothecary one of the oldest pharmacies in NYC, October 6, 1982
Photo of the Wah Kue & Company Chinese book & stationary store

Small local bookstores faced the additional challenges inherent to their business model in the internet era.

Wah Kue & Co.  /  華僑書局

date unknown

Four New Shop / 四新商店 

date unknown

Emile_Bocian-(342).png
Emile_Bocian-(343).png

Bichan Books & Toys / 百成圖書玩具公司

date unknown

Food Lin Trading Company / 福聯貿易公司 

date unknown

2019.032.0246.tif_1979_01_22_0249.png
cjh-logo-gray.jpg
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
moca logo.jpg
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok

This exhibition has been made possible in part by The David Berg Foundation’s creation and support of The David Berg Rare Book Room, a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, a Humanities New York CARES grant, and a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, a grant program made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

HNY_Primary-logomark (1).png
dclaLogo_color_2.png
BergRoom-logo.jpg
NEH-Preferred-Seal820.jpg
bottom of page