Canal Street Shopping Guide

Knockoff designer goods are at once the most loved and loathed aspect of the fashion industry. For those of us who can not afford labels, finding a good knockoff of our favorite designer is one of life's little thrills. Whether you want to merely brandish the name or are lusting to add the design to your wardrobe an extremely fun thing to do in New York City is to make a stop on Canal Street.

It's best to start at the intersection between Broadway and Canal which you can get to by taking the 6, N, R, Q, W, J, M or Z to the Canal St. stop.

In a few short years, here are the tips I have learned to take the full advantage of this jungle of a shopping experience.

1. What to Buy?
Along Canal Street you will find dozens of nearly identical tiny "stores" all carrying generally the same merchandise. You will find purses, sunglasses, jewelry, watches, accessories, perfumes, NYC souvenirs and sometimes small electronics. DO NOT buy watches, perfumes or electronics. Watches rarely even keep accurate time and die shortly afterwards. Knockoff perfumes tend to smell like Fabreezed roadkill and electronics will never work. Also, in my opinion, NYC souvenirs are lame. Stick with what lured you there in the first place: "designer" bags, sunglasses and accessories.

2. Where to Start?
As I said, everything is basically the same. As you move away from Broadway, however, the prices start to drop and haggling is easier. While you're walking scan the purse walls to see if something catches your eye. Then just trust your instinct, if you "feel" like you want to check a certain store out, then go in. There are a couple bigger "mall" areas that have many different vendors inside. Those are usually a good place to start.

3. Where Do I Find the Best Knockoffs?
The whole designer imitation trade is basically illegal, so the vendors tend not to display their best goods out in the open. This is where the fun of Canal Street shopping truly comes into play. There are three little secrets for finding the best of what you're looking for.
a. The Label Switch: for the bags displayed out in the open you'll usually see them having labels that read "NYC" or "Roma." Sometimes the ladies will tell you that once you buy the buy they can switch the label to its "true" name (usually Prada), but probably for an extra couple of bucks. These scenarios tend to happen in the larger mall areas where they're off the street (and away from the eye of the roaming policemen).
b. Back Rooms: Some of the stores come equipped with secret back rooms where they store the good stuff. It takes a bit to develop an eye for these stores but you'll soon get the hang of it. They're usually white paneled walls that have minimal goods on display. Usually the owner will come up to you, but if you suspect a back room and haven't gotten an offer yet, lurk around where you think the door is and exchange a look with the owner. They'll get the hint. Or, be more straight up and ask them "is there anything else you got?" The wall will slide open (sometimes with a secret knock or an exchange of texts) and you'll be led into a cramped room stuffed with better knock offs. Sometimes you'll be given a time limit and you usually won't be allowed to leave at your own will (they need to make sure there aren't cops waiting on the other side).
c. Whispers: Like getting an eye for secret back rooms you'll also develop an ear for the pedellers on the sidewalks who stand there whispering brand names under their breath. If you're intrigued (and feeling brave) stop and nod your head to the whisperer. They will then tell you to follow them. You'll be led off Canal Street and around a couple of corners (more texting occurs on the way) and into the secret back room of some other Chinatown souvenir shop that you never would have known otherwise had bags back there. The adrenaline rush that you may be about to be sold into white slavery is just part of the adventure. This is usually where I and my fellow Canal Street experts have found our best buys.

Also, in order to make sure you get a passable imitation, it's best to brush up on your reading beforehand. I've seen even the best knockoffs mislabeled as Dior when I know they're trying to pull off Balenciaga. If you're not up to that, just stick with the labels almost anyone can recognize the designs of like Chanel, Coach and Prada.

4. How Do I Haggle?
The best part about shopping on Canal Street is that the price they offer is never what you have to pay in the end. (This is also why nothing has a price tag on it, you have to ask). Remember, this is basically an illegal operation and they want to sell these things quickly. Generally, purses are around twenty ($30-$60 for back room items), sunglasses and hats are $10-15 and jewelry is $5-10 to start. Offer a counterprice that's a bit drastic at first and they'll offer another in the middle in return. This is usually a fair price but if you're feeling up for it, keep going. You would be surprised as to how low they're willing to go (even after they insist that they couldn't possibly go any lower).
This is where I need to share my favorite bargaining story, as inspiration. I was in one of the back rooms and had just found a completely amazing "Chanel" bag that I was in love with. When I dared asked the price I was told $55. I sighed in disappointment and said aloud "damn, I was looking to only spend $30 today." Then he said "ok, ok for you $50." I hadn't even realized at first that I had started haggling! Keeping my disappointed expression I said hopefully "$35?" "No! No! I will not go any lower then $45!" My shoulders slump and I hand him the bag, say "oh well" and start to walk away. He yells "ok! ok! $35!" I turn around, beaming, the other Italian women in the room staring wide-eyed at my amazing feat of bargaining. Even I had truly thought the game was over and now I was walking away with the best knockoff I had found for $20 less than the asking price. So, remember, the key to Canal Street is to never give up.