Chan stands behind a counter framed by hanging dried bok choy and boxes of Manischewitz matzah. He recalls opening his market twenty years ago when the neighborhood’s Italian and Sephardic Jewish roots were the primary footprint. "In the beginning," Chan explains through a translator, "I only stocked what I knew—ginger, Napa cabbage, and soy sauce." However, he quickly realized that to thrive on 86th Street, his business had to speak the languages of his neighbors. He intended to make his store appeal to all members of the community. After noticing his Jewish neighbors frequently asking for specific items during Friday afternoons, Chan began coordinating with local distributors to stock kosher-certified grape juice, memorial candles, and specific bitter herbs for Passover. "I don't speak Hebrew, and many of my customers don't speak Cantonese," Chan says, "but we understand the calendar." He then pointed to a shelf where fried dace, a common cantonese tinned meal, sits next to jars of gefilte fish. Chan views his store as a bridge. While his primary growth now comes from the newer Central Asian families buying bulk grains and lamb, he maintains his "Jewish aisle" as a point of pride. He notes that the "commonplace diversity" of Gravesend is about the fact that a Chinese immigrant is the most reliable source for a Shabbat candle. "We depend on their holidays for our business," Chan concludes, "and they depend on us to keep their traditions stocked. That is how we live together."

– DA

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant