- July 16, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — As New York City reopens, tourism is slowly returning, but so are unlicensed street vendors.
Some people in Chinatown and SoHo say the so-called fake bag bonanza is taking over their neighborhoods in a way they’ve never seen before.
READ MORE: Hundreds Pack Harlem Streets To Protest Arrest Of Subway Food Vendors, Dozens Taken Into Custody
Tourist Felicia Waller, from North Carolina, showed CBS2’s Lisa Rozner the bogus bling she picked up on Canal Street near Broadway — a Rolex watch for $60 and a Louis Vuitton wristlet for $40.
“They kinda bombard you and try to get you to buy,” Waller said.
“We got some Louis Vuitton, and some, I think we got a Gucci purse or something,” said Kevin Willis, who is visiting from Jamaica. “We’re looking more for affordability.”
The pickup in tourism is harmonious with what locals say is a pickup in peddlers, who scrammed as soon as CBS2’s cameras showed up.
Eric Penn says…