Gowanus Souvenir Celebrates Pop-Up Shop And Lunar New Year With Festive Lion Dance [VIDEO]

GOWANUS – During a break in the rain Saturday afternoon, the Gowanus Souvenir Shop kicked off a festive event celebrating From Here to Sunday‘s three-month residency at the store.

With the Lunar New Year approaching on February 16, From Here to Sunday’s Diana Ho decided to include a traditional Chinese Lion Dance to the festivities to bring good luck to her pop-up shop and collaboration with Gowanus Souvenir.

“Diana organized the Chinese New Year celebration as a launch party for the pop-up shop,” Ute Zimmermann, owner of the Gowanus Souvenir Shop told BKLYNER as she busily rang up customers amid the festivities.

Ho is expanding her From Here to Sunday’s usual kiosk at Gowanus Souvenir and fully stocking the space with her “nomadic gift shop’s” curated selection of small batch goods including baked treats, art items, and soaps and beauty products by Even Keel. Ho is also inviting a different artist each month to create a selfie wall installation at the space.

Shoppers will find “limited edition artworks on a smaller scale,” Ho explained, at ranging prices “so everyone can afford something here,” she added.

Lion dances are typically performed during the Lunar New Year and other cultural festivals, as well as at special events and business openings. Performed by the Chinatown Community Young Lions, Saturday’s lion dance was a lively and colorful addition to the day’s celebration, complete with a lettuce chomping lion, drums and cymbals, and confetti cannons. The dance began outside the store, during an interval from the rain, with the lion going inside briefly to do a quick dance around the shop and take photos with the business owners and guests. The lion returned outside to perform the finale in front of the store just as it began to rain again.

“It’s a big part of my culture and I thought it would be a nice way to celebrate this longterm pop-up,” Ho said of the performance. “It’s meant to bring us good fortune.”

The From Here to Sunday pop-up shop will be at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop from February 1 through April 30. Stop by for some unique gifts.

Gowanus Souvenir Shop | From Here to Sunday Pop-Up
567 Union Street (between 3rd Avenue & Nevins Street)
Hours: Tuesday—Sunday, 10am to 6pm