Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Decades-old Chocolate Store in Forest Hills For Sale

 Aigner Chocolates, which originally opened in 1930, produced everything from scratch.
Decades-old Chocolate Store in Forest Hills For Sale
View Full Caption

QUEENS — Aigner Chocolates, a beloved Forest Hills store known for its homemade treats, is for sale, the owners announced on the shop's Facebook page Monday.

“The Aigner family has decided after many years of making chocolate to finally retire,” they wrote in their message.

They also noted that “they want the tradition to live on,” and that the prospective buyer will get a chance to “learn from the Aigners how to make some of the highest quality pieces.”

The shop on the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and 71st Road, famous for its peppermint patties, peanut butter cups, almond clusters and marzipan truffles, closed earlier this year for remodeling and, according to its website, was expected to reopen for its 85th anniversary.

It originally belonged to a German chocolatier named Krause who opened it in 1930 and named it after himself.

John Aigner, who came to the U.S. in the 1950s with his wife and son, Peter, got a job at the store and bought it from Krause in 1960.

Aigner, who learned the art of making chocolates in Austria, used many classic European recipes to produce about 20,000 pounds of confection a year.

At some point the family also owned chocolate stores in Ridgewood and in Manhasset, Long Island. When John Aigner retired, they sold the other stores and focused on the Forest Hills location.

In 2009, the store's name changed from Krause's Candy Kitchen to Aigner Chocolates, but the owners continued to make everything from scratch using traditional machines, some of which were six decades old.

In a 2013 interview, Chris Aigner, John’s grandson, said that small businesses struggle competing with big chocolate producers. 

The store did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.