If you’d like to host your own Roaring Twenties tea party, we’ve got plenty of gear to help you capture the full effect.

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Our apparel was featured as a Sara Jessica Parker-esque local favorite:

 
Pearl River also made the list for family amusements that don’t break the bank. For less than the price of a movie and popcorn, you can enjoy an unparalleled view of the city from the Brooklyn Bridge and stock up on all manner of funky Asian stuff (and get some exercise, too, while avoiding the hiked subway fare!)

Even in economic hard times, New York finds a way to weather the storm in style. Downtown Manhattan may be ground zero for the financial crisis, but it’s also home to one of the city’s most enduring treasure troves.

This massive Chinese department store was a pioneer in Sino-American trade. Thirty years later, its three floors, crammed with everything from sturdy woks ($10.50) and ceramic sake sets (starting at $14.50) to colorful paper lanterns (from $5) and brocade satin slippers ($13.50), includes nearly every Chinatown ware you can imagine under one 30,000-square-foot Soho roof. Hunting through mounds of origami paper and mini jade statues can be a time-suck, so fuel up on lychee candy and crystal ginger slices (yep, they sell those, too).

This is a funny story! During the photo shoot for the upcoming book, the food stylist’s assistant Jan Fort had a small atomizer that she used to spray a fine mist of water on certain ingredients. I asked her where she had found the atomizer and she introduced me to a fabulous store in my very own neighborhood that I had walked by many times but never entered: Pearl River.

Many months passed until I finally had the chance to visit the store and no one seemed to know what I was talking about. Finally they passed me on to the owner, the very gracious and helpful [Mrs. Chen] who thought that perhaps I was referring to the atomizer for perfume that was very popular called Hello Kitty—so popular it was out of stock. I hadn’t a clue what “hello kitty” meant but I figured I’d risk it so I asked her if she would notify me immediate when it became available as I would be out of the city for the month of August. She said she could send it to me but the postage would be more than the cost of the atomizer. So I ordered two to justify the expense and to my amazement, when they arrived, they looked like this! And I quickly decided that though they don’t exactly match either my country cherry cabinets or semi-commercial stainless steel appliances, they are utterly charming. AND they do emit the finest possible spray for moistening breads before baking or my face when it gets too hot in the kitchen!

If you want one of these be sure to ask for [Mrs. Chen] as no one else may know what you’re talking about: 212-431-4770

On Sunday, February 8, Pearl River will host a chocolate tasting. We will be offering chocolate-covered ginger pieces–an irresistible coalescence of Asian spice and cocoa decadence–as well as scrumptious chocolate toffee crisps tucked into red envelopes (for Valentine’s or Chinese New Year). And we invite you to indulge in our unique green tea bonbons–fresh matcha powder delicately enrobed in dark chocolate.

Pearl River’s chocolates are crafted in small batches by Tumbador, a premiere chocolate workshop with an international flair (and a social justice mission embedded in its labor of love).

There will also be treats for all, courtesy of Tumbador Chocolate. Sample our exclusive line of Asian-inspired chocolates from a cutting-edge and socially consciouschocolatier. Email us or call 800-878-2446 for more information.