THE PENGUIN SHOP

The Penguin Shop is the new hip place to shop in C Town.

The small store front is deceiving.  The space here is cut up into smaller stores inside.  The vibe for shopping here is a mix of  KidRobot toys and posh fashion from Hong Kong.

One of their shops carries a good variety of Hello Kitty vintage purses.  Great for Sanrio lovers!  I also love another shop's colorful, funky watch collection.

The collection here is unique and the prices are affordable. Another target for my fellow shopaholics!

THE PENGUIN SHOP

40 ELIZABETH STREET

NEW YORK, NY

XINHUA BOOKSTORE

The Xinhua Bookstore is the new "Barnes and Noble of Chinatown".

This new hotspot offers a huge selection of Chinese periodicals and books.  They even have an on the premise bubble tea kiosk.  With the current heat wave in NYC, you'll find a lot of locals pursuing through reading material.  A glass of cold tea or ice cream would also help to cool you down!

XINHUA BOOKSTORE

9 ELIZABETH STREET

NEW YORK, NY

MERCURY

Mercury is a new home goods boutique on Mott Street.

I love their selection of comforters.  Their patterns remind me of a summer I had spent in Asia.  They are moderately priced and compact.  Perfect for city living!

My friend Rosie got a floor mat (she calls it a carpet).  Chinese people love these mats because they keep the floor cool and clean.  They are also extremely inexpensive and easy to transport.

Another cool item here are their lavender scented pillows.  Calming scents like these are like bedtime lullabyes.

Other cute things to purchase:  wedding bedsets, stuffed animals, sheets.

MERCURY
43 MOTT STREET
NEW YORK, NY

VIVA LINE INC

A fun place to go is Viva Line Inc.  It's a photo booth wonderland.

You can come here and take pictures with your friends.  Photos come in both stickers or prints.  They also sell a fun variety of different cutsie  frames and photo related items.

FYI ask for the photo punch card.  Get your 10th photo visit free!

VIVA LINE INC

15 Elizabeth St, suite 105

NEW YORK, NY 10013

XCUBICLE

Chinatown has recently gotten some press for tech repairs.

My buddy Patrick opened this shop called XCubicle a few years back.  They specialize in game repairs.  You can ask for a quote for repairing everything from your Wiii to your XBOX.

You can also buy a lot of spare gaming parts here for reasonable prices.

A young Chinatown entrepreneur gets a huge write up in the Wall Street Journal:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703615104575328984060648228. Rocking!

Awesome new little businesses making waves in Chinatown!

XCUBICLE

(917) 338-0645

Hours: 1pm - 7pm (Mon-Fri)

Address: 25A Essex Street, NYC

http://www.xcubicle.com/