Aigner Chocolates, a much loved Forest Hills store which closed earlier this year, will reopen next week under new ownership.
The shop, at 103-02 Metropolitan Ave., known for its homemade pistachio marzipans, peanut butter cups and almond clusters, closed after the Aigner family, which had run the store for decades, decided to remodel it.
The family was initially planning to reopen the store for its 85th anniversary, but then they decided to retire and sell it instead.
The shop was purchased several weeks ago by Mark Libertini, 42, whose lifelong dream has been to open a chocolate store.
In August, Libertini, a trained pastry chef, who also co-owns a deli in Midtown Manhattan, was in Forest Hills on an unrelated matter and spotted the shop.
He wanted to buy some chocolates for his fiancée, Rachel Kellner. But the store, which Libertini, who lives in Bayside, had never heard about before, was closed.
When he saw the sign that it was for sale, he instantly felt it may be his chance to fulfill his goal.
Two weeks later, he bought the store.
16 comments:
Well, that is nice...But how long before The Leech (landlord) bites harder and kills it.
All of us who own business in location we don't own live with this eventuality.
No matter how much work and history you've put into a business, someone who "bought" the building with money from a bank will put you on the street.
In the end, it probably isn't worth it.
A sweet moment on the lips, forever on the hips...
;-)
They need to lower their prices. They are not Godiva after all....
To open a high-end shop now is taking a big risk. I do agree with anonymous2 that their prices were very steep. We bought 4 marshmallow squares a few years ago and it cost nearly ten bucks !
Here's wishing the new owner GOOD LUCK !
Good luck to the new owner. I have been buying dark chocolate raspberry jellies at Krause' s forever (that's the name I will call this location 'till I'm dead). Great chocolate is a luxury item not a staple so I don't mind paying a little extra for a product that is good when I need my fix. If you want a Hershey Bar I suggest you go to CVS, quality comes at a premium.
Congratulations to Mark Libertini, and for finally living his dream to be the proprietor of a fine chocolate shop. No big box, mass produced food products for me, then!
I would sooner travel 50 miles out of the way to pay $10 more for four marshmallow squares, than to buy anything by Hershey (the company still uses vanillin, an artificial flavoring), much less any of the "other" badly made, mass produced chocolate that seems to be available everywhere!
Now, if only the landlord (Krause, Aigner) keeps the rent reasonable, and if the Aigner family sold the building altogether, then there is less chance that the rent for Libertini will remain stable, affordable and cost effective over time.
So, I hope that local neighborhood, Mom & Pop stability prevails over grinding, counterproductive commerce! After all, hope is still real in this earthly coil---where optimism is merely a cognitive stance. Good luck to you, Mark Libertini!
I read on this site all of the time moaning about big box stores and the loss of mom and pop shops. Here we see a success and I read whining about high prices! You can't have it both ways you old farts!
Thank most Gracious God they are NOT Godiva! Blech.
Thank most Gracious God they are NOT Godiva! Blech.
I lost all taste for Godiva when that Belgian Company was purchased by the Campbell Soup conglomerate. Now Godiva's owned by Turks.
A nice story here. I wish success to the new owner.
Good luck to Mr.Libertini but do people actually pay top $$ to eat this stuff ?
With this new healthcare mandate if you flunk your "free" annual wellness visit and "code" high cholesterol or hypertension your $2500/2000 out of pocket deductible kicks in. People are starting to find this out over astronomical $$ doctor and lab bills they have received.
GODIVA??????
Obviously you never tried Aigner chocolate.
I am so glad a man with vision will give it a shot.
I don't think rent will hurt him. I am in for a box of dark chocolate day 1
Excellent news!!!
I can't afford to shop there so I don't. But it's good for those who can who live in the area and those who go out of their way to buy from them. Especially in this awfully named foodie culture, anyone would be surprised at the lengths people will go to to get artisinal food. In a way, Aigner and various original italian bakeries were artisinal before there was even a fad about it. Before there wasn't an obsession about marketing this stuff.
Even better is that this is an original shop and not another dunkin donuts or a damn pseudo hip cafe or barsteraunt. It truly goes with the environment in forest hills, with it's brick buildings, cobblestone streets and fancy restaurants around ascan ave.
Godiva's chocolate is overrated and grossly expensive, especially that they are a chain store now and have not lowered their prices the slightest considering the customer demo they have now, which are mostly middle class people and tourists spending beyond their means for indulgences. The world's finest candy that kids sell in catholic school is still better and still a dollar, even though they shrunk it.
Also better is to see Iritano posting again.
I Live a few blocks away and have been coming here for years. I make it a policy not to stop by more than once a month......unless it's a holiday. Good luck!
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