Editorial by Citysearch
The SceneYou can get lost for days in this Chinatown megastore's two floors, which contain everything from wifebeaters to megaphones to "Hell Money" (kind of like play money except it somehow involves going to Hell).
The Goods
Where else can you get paper lanterns, emerald green cheongsams, bamboo window shades, beaded flip-flops, baby-sized Bruce Lee outfits, jumbo jars of Ovaltine, lipstick cases, or a sake set with a cute picture of a bloated fish? Pearl River sells all this and more, at rock-bottom prices. Personal recommendations: Pick up some of the delicious hot roasted green peas (mmmm ... wasabi) and the Janlibo "energy drink," the best hangover cure known to man.
The Inside Scoop
- Look Good - No refunds--exchange for store credit within 14 days of purchase.
- Know Before You Go - Sales are few and far between. No sense putting off a purchase for a further reduction that will likely never come.
Latest reviews from Citysearch.
You pay to be in Soho
by JDguitarman
It's fine I guess. I just expected everything to be as cheap as in China town, and it definitely wasn't. Plus, some things they sell you can get at Target or Ace Hardware for significantly less.
Pros: cleaner than China Town
Cons: not as cheap
Posted 09/03/08
Pearl of the Orient
by DrewPisarra_Citysearch
A Chinese Sears? Well, not quite. There's nowhere to get bald tires retread. But Chinatown's greatest department store does put a refreshingly Asian spin on an American staple. This multi-floored emporium (where "Made in Hong Kong" is a stamp of approval) scores on so many levels--as a tourist attraction, as a local shop and as a novelty warehouse. Out-of-towners can find origami paper and cool hats that fold up to the size of a pocketbook, locals can purchase an endless number of green teas or visit the herbalist for non-Western medical cures, desperate gift shoppers can choose between a miniature mobile of paper umbrellas or a cool caligraphy set. The pajama selection alone is reason enough for a visit. My one problem is the continual distraction of the funky sandals, the classic folding screens, the face rice powder, the nasty playing cards, etc. Need I go on. Go there instead.
Posted 06/02/02
A Classic
by BenWilliams_Citysearch
You can get lost here. Pick up anything and everything for the home for less.
Posted 05/20/02