Old Shanghai

The «Shanghai» portion of this «Old Shanghai» store is tucked away on the second floor but they have some real gems up there. Really happy that I stumbled in on this shop.

Had fun going to San Francisco Chinatown. This was my favorite store this particular trip to shop at. Service was good.

Absolutely love this store! Would recommend to all. This store carries wonderful Chinese furnishings, clothing, gifts, etc. Great customer service! Stands above most, if not all, stores in SF Chinatown.

If you’re a tourist looking to buy souvenirs in Chinatown, this is the place to go. Unlike most of the other souvenir shops on Grant St, this one combines nice atmosphere with surprisingly cute, nice-​quality items at genuinely reasonable prices.

pros… are you a tourist and need something to say you went to chinatown? well this is one of those places you can do that. as the name implies it has all the stuff that china was known for from the beginning of time to the late 1920’s. want a majong set, old coins, feng shui stuff, chinese dolls, pillows, pajamas, kung fu shoes, abacuses, fans, lanterns, toys, pottery, tea pots, tea cups and sets. pretty much everything is here. and they really do try to make it looks like a shop in shanghai for that time, the roaring 20’s era.
went here just a couple of weeks ago to meet up with a fellow acu friend. and the place looked exactly the same as went we left it the last time we were in San Fran, say 2008. as we asians like to say, «all look same.»
cons…prices not that reasonable, it is a tourist trap. selections not so great, but you will find something fun here. workers not so friendly, they are chinese. doesn’t mean they are mean, just not the friendliest bunch. i should know, i’m part chinese. don’t get on my bad side. but still a fun place to go and have a good time looking at a bygone era. i can just hear the faint sound of a gramophone playing some chinese jazz tune, ye lai xiang, ye shang hai, my china rose, or any number of songs.

Just as the name suggests, this store has a nostalgic theme and the atmosphere is enhanced by the dim lighting and soft classic Chinese music. It carries many different classical and traditional Chinese clothing items from cheung sam to those artsy colorful slippers. It also carries many antiques, jewelry and high-​end household decorative items.
Whether you plan on buying anything, this store is a must-​see, if only because of the nostalgic atmosphere which is like a breath of fresh air from all the other gift shops and tourist traps in Chinatown.

We shop at Old Shanghai annually in our trek from Eastern North Carolina. My husband attends the Apple World Wide Developers Course and we always shop at Old Shanghai. The treasures I purchase there are meaningful to me as I give them as gifts. I receive such positive feedback from the treasures I purchase at Old Shanghai. This year upon returning to NC one of my Old Shanghai purchases did not work. I communicated with Selina in customer service on line. Selina has been attentive, professional and so very helpful. She has gone out of her way to be helpful and see to it that I was able to obtain my «treasures from Old Shanghai». Thank you Selina!!!

Yes the stuff in this store costs more than the plainer trinket shops in Chinatown. What you are really paying is ambiance. Everything in this store is neatly arranged and fancy looking. I came here to buy a kid’s outfit for international day. The clerk was very nice about helping me measure the outfit (I did not bring the kid here) so that I know it will fit. They don’t accept exchanges so it’s important that the outfit is big enough.
They deducted $ 2 off the outfit because the elastic on the pants were defective.
Overall, I’m happy with what I got.

They have some great unique decorations, clothing, accessories, souvenirs & gifts.
all sorts of prices… from a few dollars to 19,000 (Lucky Buddha) …
great for tourist attraction.

Has nice stuff, prices all pretty much in line with other shops on street. Choices are fairly similar as well, but the display is accessible and extensive. Good store.
I’d returned, as last time I was here they had the PERFECT little silk bag that fit an iPhone and hung around your neck. I’d bought a bunch, but had foolishly given most away, not realizing I should have kept one to match every outfit. And now, heartbreak, they don’t make it anymore. I’ve bought some other little bags & will see how they work. Why don’t the little bag makers think about the size of things people carry???

Awesome store. Gift heaven: fun accessories (including purses and bags), clothing, tea paraphernalia, and novelties. Reasonable prices. Accepts all major credit cards. Very very cool shop — organized, and plenty of room to walk around.

I think Lawrence clicked on this shop rather than a nearby restaurant in 2006. There are no soup dumplings here.
What is here is a very nice variety of Oriental silk bags, eyeglass cases, jewelry rolls, dresses, pajamas, Buddas and gifts both new and antique of much better quality than most of the others on Grant.
I bought gifts for my 2 year old niece and a friend’s little girl, qi pao dresses for my Australian mum who loves them and many other things on my last visit.
Since I am moving to the Memphis area next week and wanted more qi pao dresses I called them because they weren’t listed on their web site. Tiffany Tang sent me photos of several with sleeves and without, charged my credit card and mailed them. I am having them hemmed to retain the trim and will send them to her Monday.
Great service!

This place is neat, very unlike the other places on Grant which hawk the same souvenirs over and over again. It’s definitely more upscale though which explains it. They had a large collection of really old looking mahjong sets (though I think you can get those on eBay pretty cheaply since they are in varying condition.) Didn’t buy anything but could see getting a gift or two here. Shop around though.

Definitely one of the must-​visit shops in Chinatown. Lots of fun jewelry, dishware, novelties, and some beautiful and reasonably-​priced clothing for women that are definitely one-​of-​a-​kind in regards to the area (and that’s saying something, because virtually everything you see in one shop in Chinatown is available in every other next shop — such repetitive shopping).
Staff is very nice, but the sales girl will stand constantly outside the dressing room as you change or switch out sizes (aaah, personal bubble space!).
Incense junkies — cheapest Nag Champa of any place around, as far as I’ve seen.

definitely worth a stop, they have some really cool stuff to look at
the only thing tho was that some of the stuff they were selling, i found at other stores for like 50% cheaper! just a few things tho like the small stuff.
definitely has a cool atmosphere too

I’ve lived in SF all my life and I’ve never been into this store until last week. They sell traditional Chinese antiques such as clothes, furniture, etc. The store is very organized and the items are more on the high-​end side. You’ll probably find these items sold in China for much cheaper but you have to admit … having these kind of stores in Chinatown is much better than having stores that sell San Francisco suveniors. At least this store reflects China history and culture …

Tourist trap?
Went inside looking for cheap home centerpiece decorations. I see a beautiful flat Japanese style iron tea pot. I ask how much; the lady says $ 60.
$ 60 is not the price I was looking for!
For the most part, they do seem to have some vintage to antique items in here. I remember seeing old, drums, Chinese house panels but I don’t know if they are authentic.

Looks high end.
Smells high end.
Clean and organized like a high end store.
A high end Chinese store that is. This store is like a breath of fresh air amongst the other haphazard looking Chinese stores that line Grant st. and sell «I love SF» souvenirs. None of that unflattering fluorescent lighting either. The first floor has nice merchandise which covers home décor to hair accessories. On the second floor you can find cheong-​sams and bigger furniture pieces with Asian flair.
Just remember, all of these come at a higher price, plus with the Enya-​like music in the background, you’d certainly be at ease in handing over your credit card.

This place has almost the same price as most of other stores when it comes to Chinese theme items, except they are nicely laid out.
I like coming hear to pick up wine bottle holders, Chinese coasters. They have classic look, well built, durable and useful.
I also like the upstairs where they carry different silk bedding. It’s very popular to use silk with pure cotton blankets in Hong Kong. While they don’t carry the blanket, the covers are nice and with many beautiful patterns.
I like strolling along shops like this on a weekend afternoon, it’s relaxing and almost walking through a mini museum with old school stuff!

This store kinda reminds me of a knock off of Shanghai Tang. They sell the Chinese ‘qi pao’ dresses and shawls and scarfs which are Shanghai Tang’s trademark — of course, not using the same quality of material that Shanghai Tang does — and knick knacks and decorations which are of a much higher quality than those other stores along Grant.
Of course with the nicer selection also comes a higher price tag and some items run into the thousands of dollars and more. Not sure if I would purchase Buddha heads from this store as you most likely will get same quality at a much lesser price in Asia, but if you’re not going to Asia anytime soon and you want some relics, then this will have to do.
A refreshing store amidst the other nickel and dime ones in Chinatown.