FOREST HILLS — A beloved Metropolitan Avenue chocolate shop that has served the neighborhood since 1930 is undergoing major changes as its new owners try to give it a modern feel while maintaining its time-tested recipes.
Mark Libertini and his wife Rachel Kellner bought Aigner Chocolates, at 103-02 Metropolitan Ave., about two years ago and have since been overhauling the store by remodeling the space, expanding its menu and extending its hours.
“We wanted to mix the old with the new,” Kellner said.
Mark Libertini and his wife Rachel Kellner, the owners of Aigner Chocolates. (DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)
They got rid of the toys that used to decorate the store "to focus on chocolate" instead, and installed a marble bar where customers can sip their coffee.
They also extended the store hours — to 8 p.m. from it former closing time of 6 p.m. during the week, and until 10 p.m. on weekends — in order to “appeal to the after-dinner crowd,” Kellner said.
“We feel that nobody can get out of work until 5 or 6,” she explained. “Customers would tell us that they had to leave work early in order to get here.”
The owners also recently partnered with the UberEats food-delivery service, which brings their treats directly to people’s doors.
“Everyone is on their cellphones these days, and we thought that this would be a great way to expand our customer base and to get more exposure,” Kellner said.
The Uber Eats menu offers several assortments that are not available at the store, such as "aphrodisiac bag,” "babysitter's companion,” “ice cream party" and "healthy pleasure." But the most popular choice is the "movie night," which contains a 3-D chocolate award statue, chocolate-covered pretzels, nonpareils and red liquorish, Kellner said.
Photo: Courtesy of Aigner Chocolates
The store has also expanded its menu to include flourless chocolate cake, as well as ice cream in three flavors — dark, milk and white chocolate — made from chocolate made on premises.
This fall, the store will also introduce a "sipping chocolate," which will be made with “a really rich dark chocolate,” and hazelnut butter milk, consisting of steamed milk with hazelnut butter, also made in house, Kellner said.
The store is planning to hold workshops for local residents, with the first one on Sept. 18 dedicated to “mindful chocolate eating,” she noted.
“There were such a rich tradition and history, and there is so much that has been done so well, but we just wanted to add our touch to it,” Kellner said about the changes.
The store originally belonged to Alfred Krause, a German chocolatier who opened it in 1930.
In 1960, it was bought by John Aigner, who studied the art of chocolate making in Austria before coming to the U.S. in the 1950s with his wife and son, Peter. He introduced many classic European recipes to the store menu.
The Aigner family, who later changed the store's name from Krause's Candy Kitchen to Aigner Chocolates, decided to retire in 2015.
But the business continues to make everything from scratch, while using many of its traditional recipes.
“We’ve been trying to keep what really works and then add to it and modernize it," Kellner said.
