Whether it’s an anniversary, a gender reveal, a shiva or a party, Liz and Peter Heller want their Halcyon Liquors business to be there for their community and they are looking forward to being a part of their neighbors’ lives through any moment.

The Roslyn Heights full-service liquor store is under new ownership by the Hellers, a husband-and-wife team. They have been working at the store since December but took over ownership in the past month.

The Hellers said they have transformed the business at 52 Glen Cove Road, catering to the community by offering a more curated, high-end selection of wine and spirits while still offering something for everybody.

Liz Heller said their inventory is not necessarily more expensive, rather they are providing a broader selection of wine and spirits with an expansive price range. Peter Heller added that they are offering more highly rated spirits and wines, not explicitly highly priced products.

“We’ve taken a very deep dive into the spirits and wine world to expand our knowledge base to really try to cater to the neighborhood and the community’s needs,” he said.

Tequila has surged in popularity recently, Peter Heller said, so the store has expanded its selection to include harder-to-find and unique tequilas that community members can enjoy.

The pair has also brought in more wines that are not commonly known but are delicious and cater to the tastes of their community, Liz Heller said.

The store offers delivery and bartending services as well. Every Friday they host a tasting at their store, offering snacks for the adults partaking and little treats for their kids who may tag along.

Prior to taking over ownership of Halcyon Liquors, Peter Heller was involved in investment banking and Liz Heller had been a hedge fund trader for about 25 years. After the pandemic, she said she was seeking a change in her life.

“As with everybody during COVID, it made you look at your life differently and I think I wanted to be more in a neighborhood type of store,” Liz said. “I was born and raised here and I’m raising my children here. I really love this community and I felt like I wanted to do more to be a part of it.”

Peter Heller, too, said that what they were seeking was to have a stronger relationship with their community. For the last 20 years, they have lived in the Roslyn area and would commute into the city for work. But that came at a price, disconnecting them from their community, he said.

“Now we’re following our dream,” Peter Heller said about having a small business in their community.

This career change for the Hellers may be a new challenge for them, but it is a rewarding one as they gain the community they intended to seek out with their new business.

“We’ve been in business most of our adult life, but we’ve never been in small business so this challenge is very exciting to us, and more so to even be able to do it where we live,” Peter Heller said. “To be able to do that where you live in your hometown with the people you know and love, that’s just really really exciting to us.”

Liz Heller said the community has been supportive of their new venture and has provided overwhelmingly positive feedback.

“Really everybody that comes into the store is very kind, courteous and really looking to help out the small business owners,” Liz said.

What Liz Heller loves the most is hearing their community members’ stories of why they are coming in to buy their wine and spirits. One customer came to purchase alcohol for a gender reveal party, and Liz said she is looking forward to finding out whether the baby is a boy or a girl.

Liz said the small-business owner community has also been supportive, with other entrepreneurs reaching out to them to offer help in the new venture.

The Greater Roslyn Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a ribbon-cutting for Halcyon Liquors March 16 to celebrate the new ownership and introduce them to the neighborhood.

“Although we do know many people in the neighborhood, we don’t know everybody,” Liz Heller said, “so this will get the news out there that this store is under new management.”

She is looking forward to the ribbon-cutting as an opportunity to get to know more of the community members and understand how she can work with them as well.

Liz Heller said the chamber’s ribbon-cuttings have been important as they help small businesses in the community.

“It’s great that they’re looking to help people and their business gain exposure and, again, to be a bigger part of the community,” she said. “It’s not just your business, it’s the community.”