Creating beautiful outdoor dining solutions for Chinatown restaurants in need.
In collaboration with A+A+A studio, Think!Chinatown has launched “ASSEMBLY for CHINATOWN” to build outdoor dining spaces at no cost to Chinatown businesses. We design, source materials from Chinatown vendors, and construct DoT compliant dining barriers restaurants. Artists beautify and personalize the space for the restaurants with the help of volunteers who come (socially-distanced) together in a help-a-thon to sand and paint the wood barriers. In this vulnerable time, we believe more than ever in advocating for equal access to resources and opportunities.
The new open air dining program has been a challenge for restaurants as the city opens up. Restaurant owners are faced with learning about new outdoor dining practice, designing new a dining space, sourcing materials, managing construction while trying to navigate shifting health standards and DOT regulation. City officers have been handing out $1000 fines for violations, compelling restaurants to rebuild their outdoor dining.... all costing restaurant owners more money while already running low on cash. Thank you to all our individual contributors, RTW Charitable Foundation, and NYC Dept. of Small Business Services for making Assembly for Chinatown possible.
So far, we’ve worked on 9 sites, supporting 13 businesses.
Thank you to our amazing women-led team!
None of this would be possible without our fearless builder Rachel Chaos of Chaos Built, the amazing A’s of A+A+A Design Studio (Andrea, Ari, Ashely), our mural artists — Kat Lam, Rose Wong, Jennifer Palomaa, Sarula Bao, Jia Sung, Vanessa Nguyen & Chanel Miller, our volunteer coordinator Alison Chi, our on-site coordinator Alice Liu, and all of our amazing volunteers! — Much love from Yin Kong, project curator & producer.
“We fear inequity in the recovery period will result in an acceleration of displacement in Chinatown.”
Site #9: Alimama, Yinji Chang Fen, Manhattan Florist - 89 Bayard
Mural by Channel Miller
Site #8: Lian Jiang - 1 Eldridge
Site #7: Grand Tea & Imports / Delight Wong - 301 Grand
Mural by: Jia Sung
Site #6: Rong City Fishball - 19 Eldridge
Mural by: Sarula Bao
Site #5: 388 Deli & Cafe - 1 Eldridge
Mural by: Sarula Bao
Site #4 (Mural): Sweet Moment - 106 Mott
Mural by: Vanessa Nguyen
Site #3: Royal Seafood - 103 Mott
Mural by Jennifer Palomaa
Site #2: Lanzhou Ramen - 107 East Broadway
Mural by: Rose Wong
Site #1: Sweet House Drinks & Desserts - 67 Bayard
Next Site: ???
Our build-outs are 100% funded by doantions. Want to see more? If you keep donating, we’ll keep building!