Painting downtown red with art supply steals

For a neighborhood that is infamous for an infinite amount of designer knock-offs and palm-sized turtles, Chinatown has a surprising variety of art and craft supply shops.

For students planning to spray paint their furniture, crochet a multi-color quilt, or even take up Chinese calligraphy in the near future, three stores on Canal Street have all the necessary supplies.
Just outside the Canal Street subway station, Pearl Paint (Canal Street at Mercer Street) stands as part of a tall, red and white building in the middle of the street. A seemingly small shop, it carries everything from kids’ crafts and quill script tools to easels and canvases that crowd the entire lower level. According to the employee behind the custom framing counter, their most common customers are serious art students from all parts of the city.

Thinking of adding some new shelving to your room, but don’t have the supplies for it? Then check out the Canal Plastics Center (Canal Street between Greene and Wooster streets) for the most eye-catching Plexiglas in New York. The plastic is sold in thin rod shapes, decorative tiles and flower cut-outs, and rolls of thinly pressed sheet. At a shop where neon is an understatement, you will be sure to find every color and pattern you need. According to the sales clerk, you can make more out of Plexiglas than what just looks like extremely durable shower curtains. Dorm room display cubes, storages cases, and risers are just some of the things usually made from Plexiglas.

Although the merchandise available at the Oriental Books and Stationery Co. (East Broadway between Market and Catherine streets) is generally Post-It notes, pencil sharpeners, and Hello Kitty notepads, two wall-mounted display cases are home to specialty Chinese calligraphy brushes at relatively cheap prices. The store owner explained that their inventory caters to students from the local public schools. They not only sell the essentials in schools supplies and test prep, but many of the schools that include Chinese calligraphy in their curriculum recommend the store’s collection of brushes specifically.

So, perhaps the next time students make their way down to Chinatown they can get inspired to start a crafty project rather than buy another Louis Vuitton knock-off.