Business Spotlight: New Kam Man
Hei Chan, owner
New Kam Man
200 Canal St
We’re excited to spotlight New Kam Man! New Kam Man’s roots date back to the 1970s when it was established by a group of Hong Kong immigrants as the first self-service Chinese supermarket in the area. It now has a breadth of offerings including hot food, packaged goods, beauty products, home goods, and more.
Blog by the Welcome to Chinatown team, Photos by Lisa Chin
New Kam Man has been a cornerstone of the Manhattan Chinatown community and a pioneer among local businesses for decades. Founded in the 70’s, New Kam Man was the first self-service Chinese supermarket for its time, a novel concept at the time when small grocery stores dotted the area. We spoke with Mr. Hei Chan, the spirited owner of New Kam Man, about the story of this iconic establishment.
The idea for New Kam Man came long before its doors opened. The founders were primarily from Hong Kong, from Cantonese backgrounds. Among them was Mr. Chan's uncle, Lin Chen. Lin was sponsored to study business at NYU during the early 1940s.
Post-graduation, Lin and a group of friends from MIT established the Summit Group. Lin managed the food division, a substantial import and export corporation named Summit Import. This enterprise played a critical role in supplying essential goods for anyone looking to open a supermarket in New York and nationally, making it a vital part of the city's (and nation's) growing Chinese community. Lin also started managing Kam Man, which is considered the first supermarket in Chinatown as well as on the East Coast. The Chinese characters translate literally to golden door, and more figuratively, golden gateway. Indeed, Kam Man did become a gateway to China for those in NYC. (Note: "New" was added to the name in 2006.)
The 70s marked a significant demographic shift in New York, with a surge in the Chinese population. This increase fueled a demand for a taste of home, which New Kam Man was ready to satisfy. “Many Asian Americans missed home. So once they had their Chinese food, they would feel like they were back home,” Mr. Chan recalls.
Before migrating to the US in his 30s, Mr. Chan started his career in HK, at a major Asian goods exporter. There, Mr. Chan garnered extensive knowledge. Upon arriving in the US, he found a Chinatown that was much smaller and less developed than it is today. Yet, through New Kam Man, he contributed significantly to the community's growth, even helping others to open their supermarkets.
New Kam Man was a pioneer, being the first to offer fresh live seafood and a variety of vegetables – soon becoming a model for other businesses. Over the years, competition increased, and the market evolved. Supermarkets have increased in size and expanded the variety and number of products they carry. New Kam Man, though no longer considered a supermarket by today's standards, adapted by shifting their focus on specialties like tea, fine china, and packaged goods. “Our market has a very long history. Many have worked for us for a very long time. Many older Asian Americans love to come to our place, especially during holidays like Chinese New Year and the Moon Festival,” Mr. Chan reflects.
Today, New Kam Man is renowned not only for its wide variety of teas but also for its role in the import and export business, distributing first-tier items like dried seafood. Despite the high costs and slim margins associated with importing these delicacies, New Kam Man continues to thrive, maintaining its pioneering spirit and its commitment to the community.
It's clear that New Kam Man isn't just a market—it's a vital part of New York City's cultural fabric, helping to keep the Asian and Asian-American heritage alive and flourishing in Chinatown.
新金门超市是曼哈顿唐人街社区的基石，也是数十年来当地企业的先驱。新金门超市成立于 1970 年，是该市第一家自助式中国超市，在当时小型杂货店遍布该地区的时代，这是一个新颖的概念。我们与新金门超市充满活力的老板 Hei Chan 先生谈论了这家标志性机构的故事。
新金门超市的想法早在其开业之前就出现了。创始人主要来自香港，具有广东背景。其中就有 Chan 先生的叔叔 Lin Chen。20 世纪 40 年代初，Lin 被资助在纽约大学学习商业。毕业后，Lin 和一群来自麻省理工学院的朋友成立了 Summit 集团。Lin 管理食品部门，这是一家名为 Summit Import 的大型进出口公司。这家企业在为任何想要在纽约开设超市的人提供必需品方面发挥了关键作用，使其成为该市日益壮大的华人社区的重要组成部分。
70 年代标志着纽约人口结构发生了重大变化，华人人口激增。这种增长刺激了人们对家乡风味的需求，而新锦门已准备好满足这一需求。“很多亚裔美国人想家。所以一旦他们吃到中餐，他们就会感觉像回到了家，”陈先生回忆道。
在 30 多岁移民美国之前，陈先生在亚洲商品主要出口地香港开始了他的职业生涯。在那里，陈先生积累了丰富的知识。抵达美国后，他发现唐人街比现在小得多，也不太发达。然而，通过新锦门，他为社区的发展做出了重大贡献，甚至帮助其他人开设了超市。
新锦门是先驱者，率先提供新鲜的活海鲜和各种蔬菜——很快成为其他企业的典范。多年来，竞争加剧，市场不断发展。超市通过专注于茶叶、精美瓷器和包装商品等特色产品来适应。“我们的超市历史悠久。许多人为我们工作了很长时间。 “很多老亚裔美国人喜欢来我们这里，特别是在农历新年和中秋节等节日期间，”陈先生回忆道。
如今，新金门不仅以其种类繁多的茶叶而闻名，还因其在进出口业务中的作用而闻名，分销干制海鲜等一流商品。尽管进口这些美食的成本高昂且利润微薄，但新金门仍然蓬勃发展，保持了其开拓精神和对社区的承诺。
很明显，新金门不仅仅是一家超市——它是纽约市文化结构的重要组成部分，有助于保持亚洲和亚裔美国人的传统在唐人街的活力和繁荣。
Chinatown establishments like New Kam Man are what makes the spirit of our neighborhood. We need your support now more than ever to keep that spirit alive. Together, we can preserve Chinatown businesses and ensure Chinatown will always be open for business. To support Chinatown organizations like New Kam Man, donate to the Small Business Innovation Hub here:
