Canal Street, New York

A veritable “schlocking” spree

Years ago, I used to walk across Canal Street in New York City looking for bargains on a somewhat regular basis. Where else could I find vacuum tubes for my guitar and stereo amplifier, and audio cords at a reasonable price? Canal Street was the place. But up until a few days ago, I hadn’t shopped the block for a really long time. Like 10 years at least.

The occasion for my revisiting the stroll was a dentist appointment in the neighborhood. The girl at the front desk told me it would be at least 45 minutes before the doctor could see me. And so, I decided to check out Canal Street just for old times' sake. I wasn’t impressed.

I’ve never seen so much schlock in my life. And the most offensive part of the stroll was the ubiquitous counterfeit bag salesperson. OMG! Each hustler held a pamphlet in one hand with multiple thumbnail photos of fake bags, and several counterfeit bags in the other.

I had to shake my head. What could be more obvious to the authorities? No lie! I passed at least two dozen Chinese ladies (and men) hawking their bogus wares!

I realize that nobody who buys this shit thinks it’s real. So no harm no foul, right? Except for the legitimate manufacturer whose fancy designer bags are being counterfeited. What about them?