A customer picks out watches on Canal Street in Manhattan, Sep. 20, 2025. (Credit: David Pinto)
In Manhattan’s Chinatown, shopkeepers are jostling with street vendors over dwindling sidewalk space.
“It was not like this a few years ago,” said Jonathan Lee, manager of New Cameron Bakery on the corner of Canal and Centre Street.
While businesses have long benefited from the foot traffic on Canal Street, shopkeepers say unlicensed street vending is now creating pedestrian bottlenecks and blocking storefronts. According to 311 service request data, street vendor-related complaints on Canal Street rose 61% in 2025, reaching a high of 16 in August.
Counterfeit vendors selling fake luxury bags and jewelry represent the largest cohort of vendors in Chinatown, according to the Department of Small Business Services. Police enforcement has increased, with criminal tickets against street vendors rising 16% this year, according to criminal summons data.
“I’ve called the police many times,” said Loknath Gift Shop owner Antu Barman. He has run his Canal Street storefront for 18 years, but says the vendor situation has never been worse. “The last two, three years have very much affected our business.”
(Credit: David Pinto. Source: NYC Open Data: 311 Service Requests)
Barman has stopped displaying his merchandise outside, fearing that his goods will be stolen.
Not all shopkeepers resent the street vendors. “Everybody comes to Canal Street to buy the fake stuff. It’s mutually beneficial,” said Rachel Pinker, owner of Killer Tees T-shirt shop.
In September, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) released plans to widen the sidewalks by about 7 feet on each side to relieve foot traffic. Canal Street shops stand to benefit, though some aren’t convinced.
“When they constructed the sidewalk on Canal Street they didn’t anticipate this future mass of people,” said Michael Wallace, a sidewalk sunglasses vendor. In addition to easing pedestrian bottlenecks, Wallace supports expanded sidewalks to improve access for elderly and disabled New Yorkers.
A street vendor lays out goods on Broadway in Manhattan, Sep. 20, 2025. (Credit: David Pinto)
A recent DOT report tallied as many as 2,400 pedestrians per hour at peak rush hour at certain junctions on Canal Street. In another DOT survey of the corridor, 55% of respondents cited crowding as a safety issue.
“I want more police activity over here,” said Santhanam Barman of Loknath Gift Shop. He called the plan a partial solution, citing theft and entrance blocking by counterfeit street vendors as the main issues.
Not everyone had strong feelings. When asked about the sidewalk expansion, a significant portion of the shop owners surveyed for this article said they had never heard of them. Moreover, some worry the new space will just attract more street vendors.
“For people that are selling this stuff illegally, it’ll be heaven. Guys like us that are paying high rents might actually be screwed,” said Pinker.
DOT said the expansion could begin as soon as July 2026.
About the author(s)
David Pinto is an MS Visual Craft track student covering the shadow economy, labor, and religion. He is from London and his work has appeared in France24, the Brown Political Review, and 2WAY.