Harwin Drive is a road in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau identifies the section between

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

( Southwest Freeway) and

Beltway 8 Beltway 8 (BW8), the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is an beltway around the city of Houston, Texas, United States, lying entirely within Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway maintained by the Texas ...

as being a shopping district. Harwin has many strip malls with discount shops and wholesale warehouses.Wollam, Allison. "Upscale retail centers charge into Harwin shopping arena." ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

''. Sunday October 17, 2004. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.Best Mall Alternative - 2005 Harwin Drive
" ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

''. Retrieved on November 19, 2011. Allison Wollam said that the street has a "bargain mile" image among Houstonians (Houston citizens). The ''

'' stated that Harwin was "Houston's shadiest and quirkiest shopping hot spot." Jenalia Moreno of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' said that Harwin was "a strip known by local fashionistas as ground zero for affordable purses, clothing, shoes and jewelry."Moreno, Jenalia.
SMALL BUSINESS / FASHION RETAILING / A stylish business plan / Charming Charlie's family members search world markets to find affordable accessories
" ''

''. Sunday December 11, 2005. Business 5. Retrieved on November 19, 2011. Moreno also said "If you want name-brand purses, designer sunglasses or other accessories at dirt cheap prices, Houstonians know to hit shops lining Harwin Drive. Consumers buy the goods thinking they're getting a sweet deal — or just give a wink and a nod knowing the products could be fake."Moreno, Jenalia.
Purse maker cracks down on cheap imitations
" ''

''. Saturday February 13, 2010. Retrieved on November 19, 2011.

History

In 2005 the ''Houston Press'' ranked Harwin Drive as the "Best Mall Alternative" in its 2005 Best of Houston awards. In 2010

Coach, Inc. Tapestry, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Luxury goods, luxury fashion holding company. It is based in New York City and is the parent company of three major brands: Coach New York, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitz ...

filed lawsuits against six businesses on Harwin, accusing them of selling fake merchandise.

Stores and merchandise

Most of the stores on Harwin Drive are clustered together. The ''

'' stated "There are no places to relax on Harwin -- no food courts, dressing rooms or restrooms. Just a string of shops owned by people from all around the world who don't mind a bit of haggling."HARWIN DRIVE
" ''

''. Retrieved on November 19, 2011. The ''Houston Press'' stated that most of the stores are operated by "often-cranky"

Chinese women Like women in many other cultures, women in China have been historically oppressed. For thousands of years, women in China lived under the patriarchal social order characterized by the Confucius teaching of “filial piety.” In modern China ...

. As of 2005 stores on Harwin sell fake purses that typically retailed for $30. They also sold genuine perfume that sold for half of the prices found in

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

s. As of that year stores that sell East or South Asian clothing typically are closed on Tuesdays. The ''Chronicle'' said "Locals know the Harwin fake situation for bags and luggage, but ask a store employee, and they may act clueless. Designers don't appreciate the copying of their high-price items. Stores selling these bags know this and will gauge your interest before showing the goods." As of 2010 a

Coach Inc. Coach New York, commonly known as Coach, is an American fashion house specializing in leather handbags, luggage, and accessories, as well as ready-to-wear. Coach licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear and Paris-based Interparfu ...

handbag, which may or may not be fake, would sell for $35 on Harwin, while it would sell for $150 in a department store. A fake Harwin keychain would cost $5 while a conventional keychain would cost $35.

References

External links

Harwin Drive Shopping District
" Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. {{coord missing, Texas Roads in Houston

History

Stores and merchandise

See also

References

External links