Don't Expect Bargains When Yashow Reopens in July

After months of renovation, Sanlitun's Yashow Market is finally on its way back but boy, you probably won’t recognize it. As most vendors lamented on their way out last winter, the new Yashow is going upscale and promoters of the new retail space are saying no counterfeit goods will be tolerated.

The new place has set its opening date as July 1, less than two months from now, and is heavily promoting the leasing of its new spaces. It aims to accommodate primarily branded stores, while the knock-off vendors that made up the bulk of the market in its previous incarnation will no longer be let in.

Yashow's leasing hotline operator, Mrs. Liu, proudly boasted that the new center will have the same profile as Tai Koo Li, and will cater to “white-collar and young customers with a monthly incomes of more than RMB 8,000.”

Ah yes, just what Sanlitun needs: another upscale shopping center.

Yashow is now looking for brands that are “young, fashionable, characteristic and upscale”. When asked for their list of tenants so far, Liu mentioned that they only begin signing tenants on May 8, though they have already ironed out a flagship Major League Baseball (MLB) apparel store on the first floor.

Gone will be the DVD/CD merchants, watch sellers and children's clothes stalls, Liu said, though bespoke tailoring shops, silk shops and jewelry stores will still be allowed in the marketplace.

Each floor of the new complex will be assigned a theme and the whole fifth floor will be a food court. The basement will feature outdoor apparel, suitcases, bags, and shoes; the first floor international brands, second floor local brands, third floor for bespoke shops and furniture, and fourth floor cosmetics and jewelry.

Many a foreigner learned Chinese-style bargaining techniques via the ruthless free-market exchange that was always part of a trip to the old Yashow. Likewise, Chinese vendors quickly learned many a foreign tongue in their daily haggling with customers from all around the world.

Being hassled by sock vendors and beggars outside, fighting busloads of tourists, and checking out the latest pirated DVDs were all part of the fun. It's a sad reality that bargain shopping spots like Yashow in downtown Beijing are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Considering that the place is located next door to one of the toniest shopping centers in Beijing, upgrading the old Yashow makes perfect business sense, but who knows? Beijing is littered with failed retail spaces, and the Silk Market promised no knock-offs when it underwent a major redevelopment in 2005, but knockoffs can still be found there. For all its bravado about becoming the next Tai Koo Li, Yashow could end up retaining the same character it once had.

Whether you liked it or hated it, the old Yashow had a character and a personality so that you always knew what to expect: it's probably fake, you'll probably need to bargain hard, and you'll walk out with something you need.

Image: Yashow

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well.. this sucks..

H4x0r-TheR0Dfath3r

Sciency wrote:
Why do they always think gold-plating a turd will improve things?

Actually I think there was a vendor of gold-plated turds in the old Yashow

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

Why do they always think gold-plating a turd will improve things? It won't. People shopped at Yashow for the brand-name cheapo fakes. So WTF is even the point of going there now?

How about you fax that offer to my publicist? And we'll flush it down the toilet in front of you and see if it floats.

Not sure where all the old vendors will be going.

There was a lot of junk there and frankly I hated shopping there but there were three items I really needed Yashow for:

-- inexpensive children's clothes, particularly for toddlers (when my daughter was younger)

-- tailored shirts ($20 and good quality)

-- Halloween costume items

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

Bad. The place was great.

Good. The place was a dump.