There's something amiss with one of the ATMs at the Washington Mutual on the corner of Canal and Baxter Streets in Chinatown. A Racked correspondent sends the above images of a strange smiley face receipt one of the (we assume malfunctioning) machines spits out when you try to withdraw cash. As the horror that is their phone system prevented us from actually speaking with a customer service rep, we're unable to tell you if this is an isolated incident, or if the smiley faces are being dispensed at multiple broken WaMu ATMs around town. However, we can attest to their creepiness. Any more info on the subject is welcomed in the comments.
· Washington Mutual [Official Site]
Customers entering a car filled with fake handbags
As the government continues its half-assed crackdown on the Canal Street fake market, the vendors who sell knock-off handbags, watches and the like are getting more and more wily. Witness this, a van parked on Baxter Street just north of Canal filled with faux designer bags (note the tinted windows). Although we're sure this isn't the first time Chinatown hawkers have used cars for this purpose, on our trips through the area we've noticed it more and more. In fact, there was another such van parked just feet away from this one doing a brisk business. Those counterfeiters are resourceful, aren't they?
· BUSTED: More Counterfeiters Hit on Canal [Racked]
· Spot Check: Fake Market Still Swinging on Canal [Racked]
· Racked Photo Special: Chinatown Fakes Bust, Day 2 [Racked]
As anyone who's had the misfortune of walking down it can attest, despite recent police action Canal Street remains a heaving mass of tourists and vendors hawking fake goods of all sorts. (Who doesn't love having "rolexrolexrolexrolex" muttered into your ear while you're trying to exit the Canal Street station?) But perhaps the city is actually serious about shutting down the counterfeit market. This morning, Canal and Centre Streets were the scene of a moderately-sized police raid. Cops descended on a small cluster of stalls on the southwest corner of the intersection, just steps from the building that remains closed after February's massive shutdown, and had just begun bagging up knock-offs when Racked operatives arrived. That's two down, and how many to go?
· Racked Photo Special: Chinatown Fakes Bust, Day 2 [Racked]
From next Tuesday the 24th through July 15, Brooklyn-based bag and accessory label Ananas will be hopping over the East River to open a pop-up shop just on the other side of the Manhattan Bridge, at 52 Canal Street. The line of handmade bags ($88-550), scarves and vintage jewelry ($80-250) is most popular in Asia but carried in this hemisphere by the likes of Anne Hathaway and Meg White. Debuting in their LES pop-up will be their fall designs, clutches for charity to benefit ovarian and breast cancer research, and a clothing collaboration between Anana's designer Jennifer Lagdameo and Anya Ponorovskaya.
And Ananas will do good by their brief presence: Each purchase of a bag from the eco collection will plant ten trees in the Phillipines, along with yielding you a free reusable tote printed with "I (pineapple) NY."
Ananas at fifty-two 52 Canal St between Ludlow and Orchard Sts;
(212) 219-7641
Mon—Wed noon—8pm; Thu—Sat 1—9pm Website
On Sunday, roving Racked photographer Will Femia dropped by Canal Street to see how the counterfeit market there was faring in light of February's police raids. The answer: Aside from the small section of storefronts that remain shuttered, everything's chugging along as usual. Reports Femia: "The funny thing is that you go down the block and on the other side of the street and guys are still trying to sell you stuff. One guy was actually saying, 'Buy 'em now before the cops get 'em.'" Such an enterprising businessman!
· Racked Photo Special: Chinatown Fakes Bust, Day 2 [Racked]
If last month's Canal Street counterfeit bust didn't deter tourists from the knock-off mecca, this Grand Theft Auto billboard certainly will. A menacing new painted mural for the popular video game is up at the corner of Canal and Greene Streets. It appears that Grand Theft Auto decided to make this one less overtly sexual than their last ad. They've traded in cleave and lollipop-sucking for an I'm-going-to-rip-your-head-off criminal's mugshot instead. Oh those wholesome kids at Grand Theft Auto—they sure are good at grabbing attention!
· Grand Theft Auto IV [Official Site]
· Billboards: Grand Theft Auto Revs Up Canal Street [Racked]
ABC has a video up on this morning's counterfeit bust. The raid was unusual because of its size—police needed to bring in two tractor-trailer trucks to haul it all away. A Racked reader reports that "an entire block was shut down by the police (Canal and Lafayette)". Apparently Mayor Bloomberg himself showed up to check out the scene. [7Online]
Today's Street Scenes subject is Eddie, shot on Cortlandt Alley in Chinatown. Feel free to vote on whether you like or dislike his outfit—your choices are 'Perfection!,' I feel strangely ambivalent about it,' or 'Who Did This To You.'
Today's Street Scenes subject is Jamie, shot in the Canal Street subway station. Feel free to vote on whether you like or dislike her outfit—your choices are 'Perfection!,' I feel strangely ambivalent about it,' or 'Who Did This To You.'
Can a store really be described as a pop-up if it's going to stick around for a year? Designer Alice Roi's new effort on Canal between Essex and Ludlow Streets won't be as fleeting as her Soho experiment was in May, and that's a good thing: the indie designer's filled the bare rectangular space with an array of chic and polished-yet-youthful pieces, including cute cropped sweater vests, rockin' white leather miniskirts and boho-ish scarves (prices range from around $100 to over $400). She shares the space with Sarah Luna, whose quirky and colorful clothing we've seen adorning the racks of boutiques like Albertine and Dear Fieldbinder; one of her standout pieces was a maroon mini dress printed with white scarabs ($99). The store is very, very new, so they are still working out some kinks—the credit card machine was down when we stopped by the other day, and the dressing room is still a work in progress. We really don't mean to dissuade any shoppers, though, as there's a lot of fantastic clothing to be found here. Just bring cash.
Alice Roi and Sarah Luna 27 Canal St between Essex and Ludlow Sts;
no phone
Mon—Sat 1—9pm Website; Website
These fake I'm Not A Plastic Bag totes were spotted by a Racked correspondent in London. Of course, you can get your own faux-Anya Hindmarch accessories here in New York, as we saw some in a Canal Street stall this weekend. Those counterfeiters—always giving the people what they want.
· From The Scene Of The "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" Frenzy [Racked]
· Anya Hindmarch Totebag Frenzy Continues Unabated [Racked]
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