Shops in NYC
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Clothing
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· Queens Crossing – Flushing, NY
Queens Crossing is a pretty, modern mall consisting of many clothing shops, restaurants, cosmetics, and many other. However, you might get lost the first time you enter, but it’s really not that big of a mall. There might be 15 stores max. But what I like about this place is the variety of stores they have, including: MANGO, Swarovski, Shiseido, Banzai, and Paris Baguette. The stores sell mostly Asian-made products, like Hello Kitty, Gatsby, KPOP Socks, and Asian styled clothing. The mall is easily accessible; its location is surrounded by multiple bus stops and is right in front of the train station. (7 Train)
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· New World Mall – Flushing, NY
This mall opened up a couple of months ago, however it’s a pretty popular destination in Flushing. It’s usually crowded because it contains a supermarket. Unusual, right? I think the shops there are not that great, honestly. It’s still a great place to shop for clothing, but some people go there just for the food. The food court in the New World Mall is phenomenal, coming from a person who doesn’t even eat a lot. There is a large variety of food there that you can try: Japanese, Malaysian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and others. Seriously, the food there is good. You have to go there for the food. It’s a must. But trying to find a seat can be a difficult task. Good luck!
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· UNIQLO – SoHo, New York, NY
A modern, stylish Japanese clothing store on the New York City streets! UNIQLO is a Japanese brand that sells all types of clothing infused with Japanese culture and a unique style. This place is always crowded, but the store is so large that you can shop here for hours. The music in here always keeps you going. The place also sells anime-infused clothing! Make sure to check the website out!
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Stationery / Music
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· Kinokuniya Bookstore – New York, NY
An amazing, beautiful, three-story floor bookstore that sells clothes, toys, stationery products, mangas, anime, and much more! If you are a Japan-obsessed person, you might find yourself spending hours here. The bookstore also sells music, including JROCK, JPOP, and KPOP (Japanese Vers.). You can basically find all types of Japanese related products here. Prices are fair, but the experience is definitely more worthwhile. The bookstore also has a mini-Japanese café; so if you are hungry as you explore the place, go in and try some of their food! The easiest way to get there, in my opinion, is to get off at the 42nd St-Bryant Park train station since it is a couple of steps away.
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· Koryo Bookstore – Koreatown, NY
A peaceful, Korean bookstore that sells hair products, Korean drama DVDs, and KPOP related items. The DVDs are pretty cheap, however the CDs are expensive. If you are looking for a place to buy KPOP albums, this is the place. But you will lose your money fast. They also sell KPOP posters, calendars, pins, and post cards. It’s pretty accessible, being in front of the 34th St-Herald Square station.
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· Magic Castle – Downtown Flushing, NY
Magic Castle is a very pretty shop, filled with toys and plushies. It has a lot of gifts, including bags, accessories, and key chains. This place is more geared towards stationery goods though. It has a large selection of books, pencils, pens, erasers, cases, binders, folders, stamps, boards, etc. The stuff they have here are extremely adorable and fairly cheap too!
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Hair Salons
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· Salon De Tops – Little Italy, NY
(Sorry about the photo, closest one I got. I will take a photo myself next time.)
It’s not always the place, but the stylist, and this applies not only here but to all hair salons. This is where I always get my haircuts, but that’s only when I found the right stylist. Salon De Tops is a stylish, classy hair salon that cannot be missed when you walking around Chinatown and Little Italy. It’s the salon with the giant windows. The place is usually busy. The hair washers are really careful when they wash your hair. The receptionist is also very kind and is always ready to help when you need it.
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Gifts
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· Elizabeth Center – Chinatown, NY
This place is definitely worth checking out. When you first enter Elizabeth Center, it may seem like there’s nothing except for a cosmetics shop and a hair salon, but that’s only the first floor. When you go down the escalator, you reach the floor containing numerous mini-shops that sell key chains, bags, make-up, toys, plushies, games, Mix Style headphones, accessories, everything. The place is always bright and you can easily get lost in the mountain of colors and goods that Elizabeth Center has to offer. Everything is fairly cheap and this place is always a must-go for anyone visiting New York.
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· The Penguin Shop – Chinatown, NY
This shop is fairly new and not many people know about it. It’s a shop on Elizabeth Street, but it only contains three stores. You can say that it’s an “extension” or an “add-on” of Elizabeth Center; it’s only a block away from there. The Penguin Shop contains one cosmetic shop and two stationery shop. The place also has a “watch wall”, which is a long wall that contains expensive, beautiful watches. The stores sell chains, toys, clothing, and more. Worth checking out!
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· Anime Castle – Downtown Flushing, NY
Anime Castle is a must-visit for those anime/manga lovers. It has a large selection of anime related products, including accessories, magazines, DVDs, toys, apparel, and art books. The choices are huge. Worth going!
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· ToyQube – Flushing, NY
This place can be a little difficult to find, because it’s a little small. If you love collecting toys and gifts, you should check this place out. You can find almost any type of collector toys here. They also sell game-related sweets and watches! The staff is always ready to help and they always have new toys every day!
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· Toy Tokyo – East Village, NY
Toy Tokyo is just one giant hodgepodge of toys. Everything is a little bit on the expensive side, but this toy store is pretty mesmerizing. It’s a little small, but the amount of toys they have overwhelms you. Check this place out when you’re by East Village!
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Others
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· Toto Photo Stickers Shop – Downtown Flushing, NY
Toto’s is one of the few places I’ve heard where you can take a “purikura.” If you do not know what that is, it is a photo that you can decorate and use as a sticker when you print them. You can google it for a clearer sense of what I’m talking about. The place is a walk from Main Street, Flushing, but it’s a must-go if you’ve never been to a photo booth like this before. It can get pretty crowded, however. The place has two different types of booth: a $6 one (Sense Q) and a $10 one (Ulala). The prices may seem a little expensive, but it’s a good idea to split the fee with your friends. The experience and fun you have taking the photo is worth it. You can even stick the photo on one of their walls for a lasting memory.
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If you know a place that is definitely worth going into in NYC, message me and I will try to visit the place and add it on to this list! I’m also trying to get more categories up. I will add on to this as I think of more places worth going to in NY, but in the meantime, here is what I could come up with! Hope you enjoy; thank you for reading.