Canal St. vendors are famous for their cheap wares and have become a mandatory stop during any tourist's shopping spree in New York. Street vendors are located in cramped rooms that face the sidewalk, and they are filled with handbags, sunglasses, jewelry, apparel, perfumes, and other trinkets. Some buildings form tunnel-like alleys in which other vendors also hawk their wares. Some vendors sell from the street itself, lugging around suitcases and garbage bags filled with bags, wallets, and jackets. Trolley street vendors sell food to passing tourists and New Yorkers that include Chinese pancakes, nuts, and fish balls. Canal St. vendors are surprisingly multi-ethnic, with Chinese, Caribbean, and South Asian vendors selling side to side.
The vendors have become a viable alternative to malls for the keen shopper, although they have also stirred up controversy for being involved in the sale of counterfeits (fake designer knockoffs of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Guess, DKNY, Burberry, etc. are popular).
