Wonderland Emporium

A New York institution that's lived many lives is now reborn in Soho. My name is Lin Yi Chen. My name is Qin Ye Chen. I think I suppose around the Thunder, but up for a river. We married in 1977. I actually used to live in China. So much of this reminds me of being in China. Do you find a lot of people come in and say, oh, I'm finding things here that I haven't seen outside of China? A lot of people. A lot of goods from China flow into this country. But there are still a lot of things that bear a lot of cultural value, which is being missed. We try to bring more Asian instead of just strictly Chinese. What do you think this place represents to the Asian community in New York? I think the Asian community appreciates the real. . . Yeah, we start something more. And more even now because we had it for 50 years. You have faced hardship in the city in terms of relocating. This is now what your fourth location? Sixth? Sixth. And each time you just seem to come back stronger. Well, So now it's really a chapter two. My name is Joanne Klong. I'm the president and second-generation owner of Pearl River Mart in New York City. And how do you describe this place to people who've never been? Yeah, it's like an Asian-American wonderland Empore It's the first Chinese-American department store when relations normalized in 1971. We have clothing and toys and snacks and gifts and housewares. And it's just a place where New Yorkers for five decades really have bought things to make their home feel more I grew up with Pearl River so it just so happens that my husband is the Chen'son. But If you were good, you would go there and find So I think for my own kids and for future generations of Asian-Americans, it's important to have these pillars in the community. It gives you so much comfort where there's a place that you had in your childhood that'still standing strong today. What do you think is your secret to surviving so many decades? I mean, you're a New York landmark. I'm doing maybe 15 hours a day, one meal a day at the beginning. That's big. I was so hot. I think it's a worry-alwarding. The hardship is nothing if you're part of the greater goal. What we're doing is more than just business. We try to build a bridge between the two countries. I don't mind sweeping the floor. I don't mind doing anything small. Because this is your business. This is what you're doing. You're doing something big, a picture. That's a big picture. And that's your drive.