Meet our 2024 Small Business Award Winners
Congrats to the winners of Welcome to Chinatown’s 2024 Small Business Awards! Representatives from each business/organization were honored and celebrated at our 2024 Gala on September 19th. Each winner will receive a $5000 Longevity Fund grant.
Small businesses are the heart and backbone of Chinatown. Welcome to Chinatown’s Small Business Awards honor local businesses and entrepreneurs for their contributions to Chinatown and the wider community.
Hall of Fame Award: New Kam Man
Hei Chan of New Kam Man accepts the award at Welcome to Chinatown's 2024 Gala, from Awkwafina.
About New Kam Man: Founded in the 70’s, New Kam Man was the first self-service Chinese supermarket of its time which supported the surging Chinese population immigrating to the area and provided a place that felt like home to these Asian Americans. Today, New Kam Man is renowned not only for its wide variety of teas, fine china, packaged goods, and home goods but also for its role in the import and export business, distributing first-tier items like dried seafood and mooncakes. New Kam Man continues to thrive, maintaining its pioneering spirit and its commitment to the community, helping to keep heritage alive and flourishing in Chinatown.
The Hall of Fame award honors a legacy business that has made a lasting impact on Chinatown for its connection and contributions to the community. This business is recognized as an institution to the neighborhood for its ability to bring the community and its visitors together to celebrate and honor Chinatown’s rich history through its business.
Bright Beginnings Award: Chinatown Social
About Chinatown Social: Chinatown Social is a community engagement group dedicated to supporting and uplifting the AAPI community. Their events partner with local AAPI small businesses, providing opportunities for guests to engage with the community and support these businesses. Their initiatives include cultural preservation, community development, education, and the arts. Chinatown Social aims to make a positive impact on the lives of AAPI individuals and families. They strive to be a catalyst for change, a voice for the AAPI community, and a source of pride and inspiration.
Kai Shum of Chinatown Social accepts the award at Welcome to Chinatown's 2024 Gala, from Awkwafina.
The Bright Beginnings award honors a trailblazing business who has contributed to Chinatown’s thriving community of entrepreneurship and innovation. This honoree has identified ways to support Chinatown by using its business and community presence as an instrument to build new and sustained interest in Chinatown.
chinatownsocial.com | @chinatown.social
Spirit of Chinatown Award: Mott Street Girls
About Mott Street Girls: Mott Street Girls is an Asian American, female-owned walking tour company based in NYC's Chinatown. Founded by former museum tour guides Anna Huang and Chloe Chan, the small business was created to make Chinese American history and culture more accessible while addressing xenophobia and hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. By offering Chinatown walking tours, creating educational social media content, and partnering with community organizations, they strive to preserve Chinatown’s rich cultural heritage, support local businesses, and share the stories of their community.
Chloe Chan of Mott St Girls accepts the award at Welcome to Chinatown's 2024 Gala, from Jenny Yang.
The Spirit of Chinatown award honors a fellow mission-driven community organization, business, or outstanding individual whose purpose is to support, amplify and celebrate the Chinatown community. We love our fellow community organizers; it truly takes a village.
mottstreetgirls.com | @mottstreetgirls
Fan Favorite Award: Shu’s Flower
About Shu’s Flower: Shu’s Flower has the best varieties of fresh cut, opulent décor for home or office, even a little gift for your loved ones. As flowers are part of daily life, they aim to provide the unique and simple design from bouquets to the chuppah, to table arrangements for their daily customers. Shu’s Flower provides expertise, same day arrangement delivery to weekly corporate accounts to specialized occasions and wedding grandeur.
Liang Shu Hua of Shu's Flower accepts the award at Welcome to Chinatown's 2024 Gala, from Jenny Yang.
The Fan Favorite award is our version of a “people’s choice” award, chosen through an open nomination and voting process. Each year, the nominations and enthusiastic voters remind us of the significance Chinatown has on the lives of so many.
Special thank you to the members of our voting panel: Rich Tu, Nat Belkov and Raymond Tsang, and to all of you who submitted your nominations and votes! For details on the voting process, visit our nominations page here.
