This year, ALUMNI is ringing in the Lunar New Year with Welcome to Chinatown to show love to the people and businesses that call Manhattan’s Chinatown home. We interviewed individuals who preserve and strengthen the Chinatown community through various means.
First, we talked with Ling Lin of TLB Trading Co.
Could you tell us about TLB Trading Co.?
Our family store has been selling restaurant and home supplies in Chinatown for over 22 years! We sold everything from soup spoons to walk-in freezers and expanded into Asian dried specialties like ginseng and sea cucumbers a few years ago. We began selling fresh produce and groceries (sauces, noodles, etc.) after COVID shut us down and now it's our most popular "department"! We hope to continue to meet the needs of the community and that we will be around for many years to come!
How does your family celebrate the Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year is our family's favorite holiday and is the only time of the year that we close our store to celebrate! It is a time for our family to gather to enjoy copious amounts of food, endless rounds of Mahjong, and the exchange of red envelopes! On Lunar New Year's Eve, our parents spend hours preparing four different soups and a feast of over eight dishes like abalone and fat choy to close out the year. On New Year's Day, we have a meal of noodles and hard boiled eggs to ensure longevity and prosperity for the coming year. We also like to dim sum at our favorite Chinatown restaurants and go shopping to spend our lucky money.
We styled Ling blending products you can find at ALUMNI of NY and Welcome to Chinatown. A purchase of Welcome to Chinatown apparel supports all the amazing work they are doing directly supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in Chinatown.
We also donated a prize that can be won in Welcome to Chinatown's NFT live auction. Check out the details here.
Thank you also to the On team for providing the footwear.
