Apr. 11, 2025 By sobrien
ALBmini storefront in Astoria. Photo courtesy of Ketlin Aliaj.
April 11, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
There’s a new flavor in town — and it’s Albanian.
Astoria is now home to ALBmini, a new Mediterranean market offering a wide selection of imported goods from Albania and the greater Balkan region.
Located at 31-04 35th St., the specialty store celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, March 22, and is now open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Store owners Ketlin Aliaj and her husband Ardit acquired the space about six months ago and set about converting it into a one-stop shop for specialty goods from Albania and other Mediterranean and Balkan countries.
The store took over from the shuttered Chronos Pharmacy and offers a wide range of imported goods produced in Albania, Ketlin Aliaj said.
Photo courtesy of Ketlin Aliaj.
ALBmini offers a variety of popular Albanian products, including chips, sodas and traditional Albanian desserts. Aliaj said it also offers high-quality alternatives to several products found in American stores, such as olive oil and dairy products.
“The olive oil is very good quality, and everyone seems to like it,” Aliaj said. “It’s a completely different taste (from olive oil in US supermarkets). Even the dairy products and the meats are of different quality, even the drinks.
“Everything that we have in store, you can’t find it in the US, so they’re very unique.”
Olive oil on sale at ALBmini. Photo courtesy of Ketlin Aliaj.
Aliaj said the local community has welcomed ALBmini since the store opened three weeks ago, pointing out that Astoria boasts a strong Albanian and Balkan community. Meanwhile, American customers have flocked to the store to try “something different,” including the store’s variety of chips.
“Every Albanian that comes here gets tons of our drinks because they can’t find it here (in the US),” Aliaj said. “All of the products are unique to us.
“We have some Americans that come only for chips every day because they can’t find it anywhere else.”
ALBmini also offers delivery services for customers who prefer to shop at home. Customers can place orders by calling 929-799-2873 or by sending the store a DM on Instagram.