Wendy Yao, Owner of Indie Shop Ooga Booga
As a teenager, Wendy Yao used to sneak out of her house to meet up with buddies Martin and Eric from the now Giant Robot and listen to punk bands in the old Hong Kong Cafe. Now she runs the small indie store called Ooga Booga on the second floor of a shopping mall, overlooking Madame Wong's in Chinatown's Central Plaza. Following the trajectory and influence of the Los Angeles' punk era, Yao's DIY store carries homemade EP's by unsigned bands, clothing by local designers and hand-crafted design objects from other U.S. Chinatowns. Her interview, though brief gave us one of the best quotes of the series: "Whenever my sister and I go traveling with our parents, the first thing they want to do is go visit Chinatown."
Ooga Booga
"Wendy Yao, the owner of a small indie store talks about the particularity of Chinatown's architecture, she remembers going there as a child, then as teenager going to punk concerts and now setting up a store."
