Friday, October 2, 2026
Kiwanis Sea Cliff Mini Mart is returning for its 54th year, bringing vendors, live music and food to the village. Thousands typically show up to the annual fall event, from Sea Cliff and beyond.
“In the 23 years that I’ve been here, I would say that the atmosphere is just so positive and fun,” Kiwanis member Judith Rivera said. “And people get to really talk to each other and get to know the neighbors.”
Mini Mart, held on the first Sunday in October, will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Artists, artisans and retail vendors line Sea Cliff Avenue, offering a variety of artwork, handcrafted items and unique pieces.
According to North Shore Kiwanis Board Member Julia Salat, space at this year’s Mini Mart is sold out with more than 200 vendors from the tri-state area. She added that Kiwanis prefers the event to be a craft fair rather than commercialized. Longtime organizers Lisa and Roger Hill have passed the responsibility to Vinny Labbate and Tony Consalvo, of Kiwanis’ Young Professionals Division. The Hills remain involved, providing support for the new organizers.
Salat praised Labbate and Consalvo for their work organizing Mini Mart, selling space to vendors and mapping where each booth will be set up.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Salat said, “and they’re the people that are going to be doing this.”
Mini Mart is one of the largest fundraisers of the year for North Shore Kiwanis. Vendors pay for their spots, and the funds support various Kiwanis initiatives like Klothes for Kids, where the community’s children in need are taken back-to-school clothes shopping. Other initiatives made possible by Mini Mart funds include similar programs where children in need receive sneakers and coats, and scholarship awards.
Salat emphasized that Mini Mart is a community-focused event.
“We all join hands,” she said. “We also make the vendors know why we’re raising these funds and that the cost of their booth is going forward.”
Salat is also the advisor for North Shore High School’s Key Club, a Kiwanis affiliate. Key Club has its own booth at Mini Mart each year where Salat and student members bake and sell cookies. Funds go toward the club’s community service initiatives.
The Sea Cliff General Store will participate for the first time, having opened in November. Laura Bonelli, who owns the store with her husband Ralph, said that the store’s booth will include one section geared toward children and another toward adults.
In addition to its coffee and kombucha that the store has on tap, Bonelli said the booth will include a dirty soda bar. The customizable drink concept, which began trending nationally in 2021, includes soda, flavored syrups, creamers and garnishes.
The General Store has hosted live music and participated in other community events in the village. Bonelli said that she has heard from residents and other business owners that Mini Mart is an event everyone loves.
“It’s great for us to be on the other side of this to provide something unique for the community,” she added.
Some of the money the General Store makes at Mini Mart will be donated to causes the owners’ children, Sofia and Luca Bonelli, have chosen. Sofia is raising money for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Luca is doing the same for Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School’s Meal Packing initiative.
Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce President Maxine Mayreis has taken a Mini Mart booth for her chiropractic practice for 35 years. Mayreis is a member of the Foundation for Wellness Professionals, a nonprofit focused on educating people about holistic health and disease prevention. The foundation requires members to do community service, which is one factor that brings her to Mini Mart.
She explained that her goal since starting her practice is to help “as many people as possible,” and that Mini Mart helps her do that.
“I have the opportunity to meet new people,” Mayreis said. “And you know what? It used to be that I was approaching them, but now what I find the way it’s evolved over the years is that people come up to me and say ‘Oh, you’re a chiropractor. Well, I have this pain here, I have this problem.’”
Mayreis brings her massage chair to different community events, which she said is popular among attendees. She added that it allows her to speak with potential clients about health issues they may be having and that she can then invite them in for a consultation.
Other local businesses and organizations that have historically participated in Mini Mart include K. DiResta Design, Peace Soap, Still Partners, Deja Vu Consignment, Hive Market and Gallery, the Sea Cliff Glen Head Lions Club and NOSH Delivers!. Businesses located on Sea Cliff Avenue get booths set up outside their storefronts.
Salat described Kiwanis’ work on the day of the event as “all hands on deck.” She added that she often arrives at 5 or 6 a.m. to begin setting up, and that the planning process is extensive.
“It takes a lot of work and a lot of effort,” Salat said. “So, at each meeting, we go through a little bit about what’s going on, who’s doing what, so we really do get excited.”
Rivera said that her favorite job at Mini Mart is checking in on vendors throughout the day, helping with questions or any issues that may arise.
“It’s all volunteers,” she added. “That’s the thing. We are all doing this in service to the organization whose sole purpose is to help children, and that’s the beauty.”
Bonelli said it feels “great” to support Kiwanis with the funds from booking space.
“We love Kiwanis,” she said. “We think that they do such a wonderful job, and we think that this is an amazing program that they put out. We hope that they continue to do it for many years to come.”
Additional reporting by Roksana Amid.
