The city has been busting up the counterfeit shops of Canal Street for a little while now, and the NY Press is wondering how the disappearance of the peddlers is now taking its toll on legit businesses. The locals there are declaring that "Canal Street will join Times Square, Astor Place, the Lower East Side, the Garment District and all the other former centers of down-and-dirty capitalist grit that have been safely gentrified." One watch seller in the area told the paper, “It was a nice hustle while it lasted," but soon franchises and fancy hotels will take over the spots where independents used to operate out of (Starbucks just offered one man $12,000 a month for his corner storefront). [via Curbed]