34 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • DECEMBER 2, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Photo via Google Maps
Bay Terrace jewelry shop focuses on
providing personal customer experience
Photo courtesy of Chipotle
New Chipotle opens in Jamaica
BY NATALIE LOWIN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
A new Chipotle restaurant opened in
Jamaica last month.
Th e new restaurant, located at 147-
40 Archer Ave., opened on Nov. 10. It
will be open every day from 10:45 a.m
to 10 p.m.
Th e popular chain restaurant is working
with local nonprofi ts to donate
food throughout the new restaurant
training process. Leading up to the
opening of this location, the team at
Archer Avenue donated 2,500 pounds
of food to A Better Jamaica, a nonprofi
t community service organization
that engages in activities designed to
strengthen southeast Queens neighborhoods.
Queens-area guests can also support
the National Young Farmers Coalition,
a nonprofi t dedicated to changing policy
to provide equitable resources for the
next generation of farmers, by rounding
up their bill to the next highest dollar
amount through the Round Up for
Real Change feature in the Chipotle app
or website.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@schnepsmedia.com
@jenna_bagcal
Alicia’s Jewelers in Bay Terrace came
from humble beginnings prior to becoming
a neighborhood staple.
Th e jewelry business was opened at
the Bay Terrace Shopping Center back
in 1986, according to the store’s owner,
Lena Briskin. Her then-husband, whom
she met when she immigrated to the
United States, came from a family of jewelers
and watchmakers.
“When I met him here in New York
about 35 or so years ago, I was doing
mostly computer programming and
analysis and I worked in the city,” Briskin
said. “His dream was always to open his
own shop and the opportunity came to
Bay Terrace because at that time there
was an existing shop there, a small jewelry
store, which we purchased back in
1986.”
Th e shop was originally named Alicia’s
Golden Dreams aft er their daughter,
Alicia, and was eventually shortened to
Alicia’s Jewelers. Briskin said that the
idea for the name came from the dream
of making something “beautiful, glittery
and very special.”
Briskin recalled that the business
began with her husband creating one-ofa
kind, handmade pieces due to the lack
of modern technology.
“Basically, everything was by hand, a
lot of handmade jewelry and a lot of
diff erent items. We always try to fi nd
one-of-a-kind pieces because our idea
was always in mind to give something
to a client or a customer that’s going to
be unique, something you’re not going
to see in the next store,” she said, adding
that the jewelry was meant to be passed
on through family generations.
Eventually, the store began carrying
watches to accommodate customer
demand and have a versatile selection of
products. Briskin said they also expanded
to include watch and jewelry repairs,
gem appraisals and other one-stop-shop
services.
“We always have on staff a skilled
artisan jeweler and also a watchmaker
that basically has a lot of experience
in repairing and restoring timepieces,”
she said.
According to Briskin, COVID-19 and
online shopping have proved to be two
of the biggest challenges to the family
business.
“I personally never believed in online
shopping for jewelry. I think because
jewelry is such a personal thing, it’s very
important to have something that you
try on, that you feel,” she said. “When
you go online, you just click and with
that click, there’s no romance. Th ere’s no
services and experience online that we
can give you for free.”
Th e business owner told QNS that customers
will get the best quality stones for
their money purchasing jewelry in-store
versus buying from online retailers.
She added that due to the in-person
shopping experience, her sales associates
are able to keep in touch with their
clients and serve generations of families.
Briskin said that engagements and
wedding rings continue to be Alicia’s biggest
sellers year-round — not just during
the holiday season. Popular brands that
the store carries include Shy Creations,
Le Vian and Pandora Jewelry.
She emphasized the importance of carrying
family-owned brands in her store.
“We’re a family business, we’re looking
towards working with family watch companies,
family jewelers because I believe
that when you work with these designers,
you’re not a number there. Th ey give
you personal attention and that’s the
same personal attention we give to our
clients,” Briskin said.
Alicia’s Jewelers is located at 21119
26th Ave. at the Bay Terrace Shopping
Center. You can fi nd them on Instagram
(@alicias_jewelers).
Alicia’s Jewelers
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
