Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Argo Civic Association’s vendor fair in Elmont gave local entrepreneurs from communities like Elmont and Valley Stream a chance to showcase their work to the people in their own backyard.
Held Sept. 12, the fair brought small business owners from Elmont and surrounding communities together with residents looking to shop locally. For the vendors, it was an opportunity to introduce themselves, explain what they make and put a face to the businesses they have spent years building.
Elizabeth Villafane, vice president of the Argo Civic Association, said the association works to create opportunities that bring residents and local businesses together.
Among the vendors was a Valley Stream based business owner whose creative work began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lisa Allen started making cards because she was bored and looking for something to do, eventually turning that pastime into something she could share with customers.
The pandemic also played a role in the start of Kezzia Quintyne-Hilaire’s business. A licensed mental health counselor and owner of KQH Mental Health Counseling, Quintyne-Hilaire started her practice during the pandemic. She was working in Brooklyn at the time and eventually moved her practice online.
Her work expanded beyond counseling sessions. Quintyne-Hilaire, a Valley Stream resident, created a self-love journal with prompts, coloring pages and grounding exercises designed to help people work through issues involving confidence, self-esteem and emotional well-being.
“A lot of my clients struggle with depression and confidence and self-esteem,” Quintyne-Hilaire said. “So I created this journal.”
Visitors at the fair could also choose a card based on how they were feeling or what they needed.
For Quintyne-Hilaire, the products offered another way to bring some of the ideas from her practice into people’s everyday lives.
Elmont resident Colette Anderson, founder of Creative Crafts, has taken a different creative path. Her business began with T-shirts during COVID-19 before expanding into wreaths, candles, body oils and sugar scrubs.
“I started off doing T-shirts,” Anderson said.
Anderson makes the products herself, including candles using soy wax, fragrance and carefully selected wicks. She continues to add new products to her collection as she finds new things she wants to try.
“Every year, it’s like I’m looking for something else to add on to the collection,” she said.
For Anderson, the vendor fair offered a chance to show shoppers the products she has spent years developing and explain the work behind them.
In a community filled with people making something of their own, the fair gave those businesses a place to step out from behind a social media page or a small storefront and introduce themselves to their neighbors.
