"It's a whole process," he said, guiding a visitor around his cozy shop.
There was a quaint town square, a sturdy shade tree flanked by cozy shops and Victorian houses.
Seats in the dim and cozy shop are packed with arty students who share table space with teetering piles of books.
Two years ago, she opened Bella's Bakery in Millburn, a cozy shop where cases are filled with cupcakes as well as cookies, brownies and the like.
It can be found at Alphabets, a cozy shop downtown that wins the prize for Best Retro Toy Store Run by a Former Nun (115 Avenue A, at 7th Street; $3.95).
Up the block, stop by the cozy shop Concerto (Dob u. 33; 36-20-268-9631) for an infusion of Liszt or Bartok and an Old World feel.
So will the crackling fireplace at this cozy shop downtown, which opened in 1996 but feels older with its pressed-tin ceiling and marble cafe tables.
The Open Book, a smaller, cozy shop about a dozen storefronts away, sells many of the same books at the same prices, along with a few toys, aromatherapy candles and writing journals.
It has been theorized that the city's cloudy, drizzly climate gave the perfect impetus for coffee's unusual degree of popularity; caffeinated drinks consumed in cozy shops and restaurants provide great balm as well as shelter from the dampness.
Mr. Storto rents a cozy shop that is about the size of a first Manhattan apartment and fits him, he hates to say it but does anyway, "like a glove".
