The whimsically named Hello Sari has been doing business kitty-corner to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum's visitor center for four years. Owned by Kris Jensen originally of Waukegan, Illinois, the small store sells dresses, fabrics, shawls, shoes, belly dance outfits, jewelry, accessories and, of course, saris.

To walk into Hello Sari is to be transported to a warmer more colorful place. Sitar music is playing, the smell of incense is in the air and a profusion of colorful cloth items grabs the eye.

Kris and her Pakistani husband, Akram Mohgul, regularly travel to Pakistan and India where she finds the merchandise and he haggles for it. The colorful and delicate looking items are then shipped to the store and sell for between five and one hundred and seventy five dollars.

Just like the waves of immigrants who have colored the neighborhood, Hello Sari is solidly rooted in the tradition of the Lower East Side as a destination for all things exotic and foreign.

The store is a regular in New York Magazine's annual 'Where to Shop' guide as well as being rated 'Best Belly Dance Shop' by the Village Voice. When you visit the museum, stop by Hello Sari to pick up a Sari for wearing or for home decoration - you won't be sari!