Piloting our Coach Program with Ting’s Gift Shop

Ting’s Gift Shop is one of Chinatown’s oldest retail stores, located at the iconic corner of Doyers and Pell. Open since 1958, Ting’s is currently owned and operated by 2nd generation owner, Eleanor. Ting’s is filled with treasurers from Eleanor’s mother sourced throughout her travels around the world. The store carries objects primarily from China dating back to the 1950s.

In May, Eleanor and our team were brainstorming what we can do to help the store operate more smoothly, while also bringing in a new generation of shoppers in. In this pilot of our “Coach” model programming, we are working closely with Ting’s Gift Shop to digitize their clothing inventory. Through our Coach model, we will work with businesses like Ting’s to provide training and hands-on support across varying challenges.

Ting’s features a very rare collection of mint-condition Chinese clothing imported from Hong Kong, dating back to the 1960s (!)  As we worked through the inventory,  we discovered so many treasures of silk qipaos, brocade long coats, and embroidered cotton blouses. Many of these pieces have never been outside of their box. 

This is just the beginning of our collaboration with Ting’s Gift Shop as we navigate how to continue digitizing their store’s vast inventory, while also exploring creative directions for their branding + lifestyle photography in order to showcase their beautiful collection.

Follow along with our work with Ting’s Gift Shop and other businesses as we soft-launch our Hub programming!