The earlier incarnation of the Pearl River Mart was a few blocks down Broadway in Chinatown, and years away in ambiance. It was a well known secret among, well, those who know all the secrets. You went up a flight of stairs and stumbled into what seemed like a Chinese supermarket undisturbed (and undusted) for decades. There were noodles and tea and condiments and cookies and other comestibles impossible to determine, their labels bearing no english except the requisite label indicating how many calories and grams of fat they might include. There were row upon row of tea pots and sake sets, the ceiling was hung with paper lanterns and umbrellas, and the aisles were too narrow for two people to negotiate. Flash forward to the new Pearl River Mart, a well-lit, multi-level emporium selling the same stuff but with a dash of marketing savvy and, no doubt, a serious consultation with a feng shui master. The front of the store is a sea of brightly colored silk and rayon clothing for the whole family liberally dotted with accessory tables. Downstairs the food and lanterns and umbrellas and china via for attention with portable fountains, baskets, slippers. It's packed on weekends but worth a little jostling if your taste runs to origami colors and Asian spice.
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