It has long been the Chinese-American vendors who deal in fake designer merchandise who have earned themselves a bad name in Manhattan's Chinatown. But beginning this summer, the corner of Canal Street and Broadway has been transformed into a counterfeit night market of sorts run by African-Americans who spread their goods on sidewalks and openly sell to passersby, a tactic more blatant than the one used by their Chinese counterparts.
These new night markets are located on the northwest and southwest corners of Canal Street and Broadway. Sources say one reason is to avoid stealing the customer base away from Chinese competitors who also sell such goods. The night market vendors must rely on distributors run by the Chinese to get their merchandise.
Second, the area where the night market is located, is covered, by the First Precinct, which is much weaker than the Fifth Precinct in combating vendors selling counterfeit goods. Third, the police presence at night is not as strong as at other times, and there are fewer workers from companies that manufacture name-brand goods who can come out and take action against the illegal vendors.
Compared to the Chinese-American vendors who are more discreet about hawking their counterfeit wares, the African-American vendors are much more open, placing all of their merchandise on the sidewalk, including knockoffs of LV [Louis Vuitton], Gucci, Prada and numerous other world-famous leather bags, and announcing to tourists who pass by that they are for sale. They also sell watches and eyeglasses, among other things, and prices are mostly between $10 and $20. Compared to goods sold by Chinese-Americans during the day, the prices at the night markets are slightly higher.
To dodge surprise attacks by police and other counterfeit enforcement personnel, the night market peddlers not only utilize specialized lookout sentries but also have devised a quick getaway scheme. For example, each vendor places his or her goods on a piece of white cloth that is spread on the ground. The four corners of the cloth are furnished with string, so as soon as they hear news of a police raid, they can pull the corners together within two seconds and make it appear as if they are lugging a laundry bag, which they can then carry away.
The customers who visit the night markets are similar to those who come during the day. Most are out-of-state tourists, and most are women. One woman from Ohio who purchased a fake handbag at the night market said she and her companions stroll around the city during the day and come to Chinatown at night to buy leather bags, which she said felt like an efficient use of their time. She said, however, that she did not understand the City Council bill that would make purchasing counterfeit goods a crime.
Chinese-American vendors have adopted a blasé attitude toward their African-American counterparts who operate the night markets. Because they are out mostly during the day doing business, when night falls, the Chinese vendors go home to rest. There is simply no competitive relationship that exists between them and the night market peddlers, they say. Moreover, since they must go through Chinese-American distributors to get their goods, the night market vendors cannot set their prices lower than those of their Chinese counterparts who operate during the day.
This article first appeared in Chinese daily World Journal
