China Fair

Worst service ever. Horrible store. Smells and is very old. The workers were rude and completely useless. They had nothing I wanted and could care less. Do not waste your time or money!

This review is for Paper annex same place and owners China fare. Unfriendly, uninterested staff. Dirty, smelly, prices are ok, but small selection compared to party city etc. not worth the trip. I don’t understand how this dump stays in business. Hint: closed Mondays over the summer.

!!! Kitchen supplies as far as the eye can see! Mason jars, bowls, squeeze-​y bottles! Ice cream makers! Dishware!
I have only been here once, but when I walked in, I knew immediately that my wallet would be in trouble if I perused for too long. Got some squeeze-​y bottles for dispensing my hot sauce, mason jars for packaging it, and I think I got a couple other things that I forget now. But boy oh boy, this place rocks. They have so many alluring glass bottles and jars that I want to buy. And it’s also really crammed with stuff but in a huge space and people will leave you alone and you can walk around looking at everything and do your own thing. That was a run on sentence, but China Fair makes me so excited that my punctuation goes out the window!
Love this place!

All kinds of good bargains on cookware, dish-​ware, kitchen gadgets and more. I get my knives sharpened here too, a real bargain.

BUYER BEWARE! They do not honor the integrity of their products. I have been shopping here for over a year. I have bought some great things for great prices. Sometimes I saw the items for a better elsewhere (like BMS in Jamaica Plain or Restaurant Depot), sometimes not.
Last week, I purchased a Snow River wooden cutting board. As soon as I got home, I opened it and washed it with a warm soapy sponge and rinsed it off. I then roasted a chicken, and carved the bird on my new board. The ends immediately started to split, and the glue between the wood pieces started to extrude. I cleaned the board ad brought it back to China Fair. The old guy behind the counter was very rude. He accused me of soaking the board and bleaching it. First of all, my sink isn’t big enough to place the board in it to soak, and I never use bleach on my food equipment. Bleach is not a safe option for sanitizing. He would not exchange the item or refund my money. He said it’s the same as buying a glass from him, taking it home, breaking it, then wanting my money. This wasn’t glass, it’s a defective item.
As soon as I got to my vehicle, I called Snow River in Crandon, WI. A rep named Brian told me that he was unaware of any vendors in Massachusetts by the name of China Fair. He later found out that a liquidator had purchased some of their product from a third party. The product had been sitting for a very long time in a warehouse where the wood could dry out. These 14 inch cutting boards were produced YEARS prior and were made for decorative purpose. He said the liquidator paid less than a dollar per board. China Fair sold me this product for $ 29.99. In the spirit of customer service, he said he would replace the item directly with a cutting board from his factory if I shipped mine to him. He was rather appalled that someone was selling these items as food grade.
Lesson learned. Do not buy anything you don’t want to be stuck with. These people have no customer service.

This place is pretty spot on if you know how to buy kitchen equip. The pans they sell are very nice and for 60 – 80 bucks are a steal compared to 200+ all clad brand at other stores. Very heavy stainless steele and other such pots/​pans. Yes there is some cheap stuff but if you know how to shop for kitchen stuff you will be in heaven. The poster who complained about the quality of the pots and pans obviously doesn’t know much about cooking! Farberware psha who buys that crap, get the good stuff. Or if you want to buy crappy brands go to walmart.
Side note place is a dump…

This place is my new go to for any kitchen do-​dad. I went in looking for a mesh strainer and walked out with cookie cutters in dinosaur shapes, a mug tree, a cutting board and some ball glass jars. I can’t wait to go back and buy random things!
The annex is also great for paper goods! Love this place!

So… I’m a little confused by this place. As others have mentioned, the building looks like it’s about to fall down (think buckets/​trash cans collecting rain water), which is fine. I guess I was a little thrown off by the items that they sell. Yes, the cookie cutter variety is useful. Otherwise, it’s basic-​grade pyrex, corningware, anchor hocking, etc that you can get at Macy’s (on sale) and Walmart for dirt cheap (not that I’m a Wally-​World advocate). I noticed a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet for $ 35. It’s the same price on Amazon (or cheaper). They have some Farberware, along with lots of no-​name brands that I wondered if I could find at the Christmas Tree Shops or Ocean State Job Lot/​Building 19 for less. I just didn’t see the great deals. Cheaper maybe, but for cheaper quality. Note: I’m not a kitchen expert and I love a deal, so perhaps this is quality equipment and I don’t know it.
I stopped in to the paper annex before leaving. Lots of cute plates, napkins, balloons, plastic cups, etc for your party needs. Not sure if the prices are the best around (for sold colors, head to the Xmas Tree Shops), but they have everything in one place.
Odd spot, but I guess I can see why people are drawn to it.

I have been buying at China Fair for about 12 years. Besides all of their bargains on the expected items like pots and pans and kitchen tools and designer dinnerware…
The little known secret is their delicious jams, jellies and the same dried spices sold by Shaw’s and Stop & Shop for 50% of their prices. The best place in the area for spices at super low prices. I’ve used them for years and China Fair is my only source for spices, jams, jellies as well as stainless steel cookware.
The décor is raw and I love it. No pretenses, great stuff, equal to the fancy stores, at prices that beat the pants of Target and Sonoma & Barrel.
Indeed you need to keep your eyes out for the green sign on Needham Street. The driveway entrance is easy to miss but it is well worth the adventure. You can spend $ 25 here and leave with bags chuck full of great quality goodies.
Ask the guy at the counter for anything and he knows his stuff. Good suggestions for substitutes if they don’t have exactly what you want. Also they will go into the back and dig out whatever you need if it happens to not be out in the retail area.
Very low key. Zero pressure and lots of wisdom about kitchen stuff. Most especially helpful to me… A guy.

for rizzle my pizzle, this place looks hideous. like a halfway house. or a sticky fat man with a snotty nose that you rolled in tons of pepperonis. or that guy that gave anna nicole smith all those pills. he is ug-​lee.
but don’t be scurd.
.cause it’s like the ugly duckling who turned into a beautiful, discounted swan with a great selection and amazing deals. all things kitchen can be found in this store– everything from a wok to an iron skillet to a china set to a kitchen knife to a wooden spoon.
WHAT DEALS. cray-​see.
i mean it though– don’t judge by the outside or you’ll just cry and drive right back home.

I agree with the first review which said it is a «little scary» looking. Scary and low-​budget (no budget?) decorating it is, but it will save you big $$$ on your purchase. A pan is a pan, regardless of what the store looks like.
Stopped in today looking for a particular cookie cutter that was not in-​stock, but the nice guy looked around in boxes as if my purchase was going to be for 300 cookie cutters.
Side note: they also have the «Paper Annex» next-​door, which has some good deals on party supplies, but the same older woman has been working in my last two visits, and she is kind of grouchy.

It looks like an abandon warehouse, but that’s why everything is 20−40% less than Crate & Barrel, Linen N Things, and Bed, Bath, Beyond, and so on.
I have fun going here just to browse the kitchen gadgets.
Guys are a little rough around the edges, but are extremely knowledgeable and know where everything this in this massive building.
My gf says to bring your coat, it’s cold inside.

This place is a little scary on the outside. It looks like maybe they’re preparing for a hurricane to hit. And going into the parking lot is risky, if someone’s coming out you’re kind of screwed. When you get into the parking lot you think maybe someone will offer you crack or a pirated dvd, but then you remember you’re in Newton and the car next to yours is a BMW. The inside of the store is enormous and packed to the gills with any kind of cooking/​kitchen thing you could possibly imagine. I love kitchen stuff and found some great deals, but not everything was a bargain. The press pots were the same price as at Starbucks. Although I did find some quality kitchen shears for $ 4. I think this is the place to go if you need some random thing like a lemon juicer or microplane that would run you like $ 12 at Williams-​Sonoma, cuz you can get them here for a fraction of that.

Great housewares for truly super prices. Gadgets, flatware, small appliances, etc. Love it, love it, love it!