Date: May 31, 2008 9:13:59 PM EDT
To: inyc@timeoutny.com
Subject: Sunrise Mart

Today I made an amazing discovery! It’s a Japanese grocery store called Sunrise Mart in the East Village. It was filled with exotic treats like berry shampoos and magazines you read from the back to the front. I don’t know if TONY has written about Sunrise before, but it’d be great to see a story on other ethnic stores. Help a sister out, Time Out!

Janisa Guzmán, Murray Hill

Taino Mayor
It’s red, white and blue, but it ain’t Old Glory: Taino is crammed with Puerto Rican crafts, jewelry, musical instruments, license plates and even boxing gloves (should you ever run into Ricky Martin in a dark alley). 855 E Tremont Ave between Marmion Ave and Southern Blvd, Bronx (718-299-0402)

Surma: The Ukrainian Shop
Founded in 1918 by owner Markian Surmach’s grandfather, Surma houses a wide selection of Ukrainian newspapers, books, CDs and tapes. It also stocks a dozen varieties of honey, Easter eggs (pysanky), baking powders and teas, as well as hand-embroidered Ukrainian and Romanian blouses. (Surma legend has it they were used in Raiders of the Lost Ark.) 11 E 7th St between Second and Third Aves (212-477-0729, surmastore.com)

Herbapol Ziola I Kosmetyki Polskie
We never thought our 4'10" grandmother could be out-cuted, but Zofia, owner of this Polish apothecary, puts G-Ma in her place. Herbapol stocks a large selection of syrups, herbs, creams and pills. Zofia suggests Psychotonisol for depression, Melolontha hippocastani for circulation and Dentosept mariomigran for headaches. 178 Nassau Ave between Diamond and Jewel Sts, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-383-8592)

Magicastle
Toys, action figures, stickers, bath products and K-pop CDs make for one colorful teen-dream explosion. And nothing says “cultural emporium” like Hello Kitty dolls and Wonder Girls’ videos. (YouTube Korean hit “Tell Me”: You won’t regret it.) 136-82 39th Ave between Main and Union Sts, Flushing, Queens (no phone)

La Sirena Mexican Art Crafts & Clothing
Entering La Sirena feels like walking through a market stall in Mexico, which is exactly what owner Dina Leor wants. A Mexican folk-art enthusiast, Leor packs her itty-bitty boutique with Gorky Gonzalez pottery, Dia de los Muertos figurines, Luchador masks and Guerrero art. 27 E 3rd St between Bowery and Second Ave (212-780-9113)

Yara International
Opened in 2000, shortly after owner Bella Yara relocated from Mali, this pan-African shop looks nothing like your mom’s Pier 1–furnished, tribal-themed dining room. Rather, its shelves brim with authentic mud cloths, brocade fabrics, hand-carved Ghanaian drums, Kenyan leather tassel bags, grass wall hangings and tubs of silky shea butter. 6 E 125th St at Fifth Ave (212-289-2413)

Bharatiya Dress Shoppe
Thanks to his family’s textile business in Old Delhi, Purushottam Goyal’s shop carries myriad kurtas ($20–$55), plus vintage scarves, a beautiful 1910 achkan (the traditional male wedding jacket), Durga paintings, astrology and Hindu books, and—random but awesome—a back-room selection of vintage clocks and radios. 83 Second Ave at 5th St (212-228-1463)

Ipanema Girl
This well-stocked minimart—whose logo is “If you cannot be in Brazil, let us bring Brazil to you”—boasts imported foods (including Pilão coffee and pamonha, sweet frozen polenta), cleaning products, cosmetics, flag-covered T-shirts, Havaianas flip-flops, skimpy bikinis and VHS tapes of Fantástico, a weekly TV newsmagazine. 28-19 Steinway Street between 28th and 30th Aves, Astoria, Queens (718-545-2277, ipanemagirl.net)

Got a problem? E-mail inyc@timeoutny.com and we might look into it.

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