AI on Main Street: What We Learned Hosting NY Tech Week 2026
Last week, 50 people packed into The Hub at Welcome to Chinatown for our first-ever NY Tech Week event. Small business owners shared how they’ve been leveraging AI to streamline their operations. Here’s what we learned about AI adoption and their approach.
Business Spotlight: HI:EN FROM VIETNAM
Located right at the intersection of two iconic Chinatown streets, Hester and Mott, Hien From Vietnam might be nestled in a little nook but it spreads the distinct aroma of Vietnamese coffee beans that often makes passersbys pause in curiosity. If you are looking for a purely Vietnamese coffee experience, highlighted by a cup of crushed ice, look no further than HIEN FROM VIETNAM.
Business Spotlight: Slo Slo Studio
On the corner of Henry and Madison, a Fuzhounese supermarket once anchored the neighborhood – stocking the shelves with Chinese snacks and treats that neighborhood kids grew up on. All of my childhood memories end the day at that supermarket, grabbing snacks for the park nearby. Today that space has transformed into a ceramics studio, where creativity is free to roam and the power is in your own hands with what you create.
Behind the Name
We're going behind the names of five Chinatown businesses by exploring the stories, cultures, and personal histories that inspired them. Each name carries something worth knowing, and here are those stories.
Business Spotlight: Fong On
From a basement on Mott Street to a beloved Chinatown institution, Fong On's story is one of roots, reinvention, and the quiet power of knowing where you come from. We sat down with Paul Eng, the third-generation owner of New York City's oldest tofu shop, to hear how a 90-year-old legacy got a second life (and why the best is still yet to come).