Dalin Enterprises

I went here to buy some red envelopes (lucky money) for the Chinese New Year. This is the first gift store we ran into, so we just went there. I’ve been in here before and its collection of stuffed Hello Kitty’s is awesome. Also, they have the best little trinkets. The kind you would use to decorate your desk or a window sill. They didn’t have a lot of variety, but I wasn’t looking for anything special. Surprisingly, the store didn’t have a lot of things related to the Chinese New Year. However, the new year only comes once year, so I understand.

Plastic Chinese swords, mini ninja statues, Bruce Lee flags, plastic Gundam action figures, and Hello Kitty errthang — this store screams all things stereotypically Asian. Not to mention, there’s a pungent plastic smell that fills the room emitted by Dalin’s uncountable number of colorful toys and trinkets. And by colorful, it’s as if a rainbow grenade exploded inside. It reminds me of this:
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Three folks staff Dalin, and one of them is a tiny woman. She’ll at first kindly welcome you, then proceed to sneakily follow you to ensure that you aren’t snapping photos, stealing, or breaking anything. (And you’ll be reminded of these things by the small signs taped around the store.) Everything is ridiculously cheap, but I’m sure for good reason.
Not really into this kind of stuff, but if you’re into all things stereotypically Asian, this might be the store of your dreams…

Really? No one has reviewed this place? Has no one been to this beacon of wonderful shopping in Chinatown?! If not, you are MISSING. OUT.
I’ve been obsessed with Asia since… going to Asia, but somehow have never made it to China town in the xx years I have lived in Chicago. What’s great about this shop is that, unlike most of the other tchotchke shops lining the road, this one is less on the knick-​knacks and more on the fun furniture and artwork. Prices were slightly cheaper here for the same quality and the associate was super friendly (instead of pushy or non-​communicative, as I find in most of these types of shops I visit, in America and in Asia). I was pressed for time, but wanted to buy so many things. Cool artwork, fun statues, a sweet looking bar, and some colorful wine covers that looked like little samurai jackets. BALLER! In the end, I DID walk out with two of these really cool colorful wooden pieces that look like dual-​sided tuning forks that you put on top of a wine bottle and you can hang wine glasses from them (pictures to come later). For $ 1.99 a piece, it was a deal I could not pass up!
Is this store alone worth a trip to Chinatown for? No. However, Chinatown itself is a place worth going out of your way for, so while you are there, be sure to stop in and pick yourself up some homegoods fun!