Metropolitan Avenue Merchants Form Small-Business Alliance

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Mark Libertini and Rachel Kellner woke up one Sunday morning in August to a phone call from a police officer in Forest Hills: Someone had broken into their business, Aigner Chocolates on Metropolitan Avenue, and had stolen hundreds of dollars from the cash register.

As news of the burglary spread, other local small-business owners banded together to send Libertini and Kellner meals and notes of encouragement.

The camaraderie was nothing new. Small-business owners along Metropolitan Avenue, where Aigner Chocolates has been making and selling sweet treats for the past 90 years, had long provided each other with advice and support, according to Libertini and Kellner.

It then occurred to them: Why not make that informal peer support network into something official?

The husband-and-wife team reached out to fellow business owners Dee and Eileen Arabian of the pizza restaurant DEE’S and Sandra Mandell of Oliloli Arts & Craft Studio, and together they launched Metro Village of Forest Hills.

Their goal is to create an association of Forest Hills business owners and residents that will champion and promote the small businesses of Metropolitan Avenue, while strengthening and preserving their sense of community.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have developed strong relationships with both the business owners of Metropolitan Avenue and the patrons of our store," Kellner said. "We look forward to doing our part to strengthen this very special community."

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Kellner told Patch they have not yet put together any specific initiatives, because they are focused on first recruiting neighbors to join the new small-business association.

But Kellner and her fellow small-business owners are optimistic that Metro Village of Forest Hills will help them overcome the hardships brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Dee Arabian, of DEE's Brick Oven Pizza, said he was excited about the new partnership.

“Living and operating my business in this community has made me extremely grateful for the relationships and the support that I have received over the years," Arabian said.