Chinatown Community Development Center’s Chinatown Pretty project utilized an exhibit on local seniors, their fashion choices, and their independent lives, coupled with an economic development campaign to bring attention and incentives to shop at local fashion stores.

In San Francisco, Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) is using storytelling and arts projects highlighting the lived experiences of residents to foster a deeper sense of belonging. CCDC partnered with artists Andria Lo and Valerie Luu to showcase their Chinatown Pretty project in an exhibit at 41 Ross, honoring local seniors, their fashion choices, and their independent lives. What was designed as an economic development campaign to bring attention and incentives to shop at local fashion stores affected by subway construction became a love letter to the elders in the neighborhood.