Wing on Wo & Co., a porcelain antique store founded in 1890, is the oldest store in Chinatown. The current owner, Mei Lum, is the great-granddaughter of the founder. She turned down acceptance to graduate school at Columbia University last May after offering to take over the store herself, in an effort to prevent it being bought by a real estate company. She is now reinventing the shop, molding it into a community space that operates against the backdrop of Chinatown’s history.

Under her direction, the antiques will eventually become secondary; instead, she envisions a forum for panels on issues like neighborhood politics, exhibitions for local artists and a coffee shop. She launched The W.O.W Project and its mission is to engage the community in shaping the future of Chinatown by bringing together youth, elderly, business owners, and concerned residents in conversation and innovative idea generation.