Designer Jill Lindsey Gets Magical at This Chinatown Shop

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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some of local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.

Jill Lindsey, who honed her background at Temperley London, launched her namesake collection to focus on what she's best at: Designing dresses for confident, rule-breaking women. On the job, she uses hand-sewn feminine ruffles, oversized bows, and flirty silhouettes to endow her clothes with old-world romance. Off the job, she heads over to a tiny shop with magical powers on Canal Street. The store is watched over by an elderly Chinese woman who urges customers to place their hands on an assortment of crystals in order to read their aura. After she's done, shoppers can take the gems home.—Yale Breslin

One of my favorite places in NYC is Magic Jewelry. They offer aura photographs, including a reading, crystals, and rare teas. The aura photos are the real reason I visit this shop, as the image colors can come out so beautiful! Based on your reading, they are happy to select a crystal to work with your energy. They take this crystal and morph it into something that can only be described as a "friendship bracelet."

They also have a Zen chair that has two large crystals on each side, one clear and one black. It is said if you place both hands on the crystals it will balance your energy. I almost didn't want to share this shop with you, because it is so special!