Find Coffee, Cupcakes, Gelato and Retro Charm at Tootsie's Coffee Corner

Don't let the name fool you - Tootsie's Coffee Corner is not just a coffee shop. It's part bakery, part Italian creamery, and part bar - cupcake bar, that is.

"We have a mix and match cupcake bar, where you can pick from vanilla, chocolate or red velvet cupcakes, then vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting," said owner and manager Kristen Simonelli. But it doesn't stop there, customers can then pick from candy toppings like Reeses Pieces and Oreos, and can cart their treats away in specially made Tootsie's cardboard cupcake boxes, all for just $2.50 apiece.

"It's been a big hit with the kids," said Simonelli.

The dream of her own shop
Tootsie's Coffee Corner, which opened in Greenwood Plaza in Wakefield in early June, has long been the dream of Simonelli, a Malden resident, who said it wasn't until she was laid off from her catering position at the Seaport Hotel in Boston last year that she decided to make her own cafe a reality.

The store itself is an extension of Simonelli and her own life. The name, Tootsie's, comes from the lifelong nickname of her grandfather, which may have been given to him by his older brother, who had an affinity for Tootsie Rolls. Simonelli has embraced the name, attaching a Tootsie Roll to each of her business cards.

The decor in the cafe is cutesy '50s retro, complete with bright blue walls, white counters, steel tables and chairs, and a CD-playing "jukebox," that came right out of Simonelli's own living room.

"I've always been a big fan of the retro look," she said.

The products
One side of the store hosts the homemade cupcake bar, and elsewhere on the long, L-shaped counter sit a couple of muffin tins, cooling off freshly-baked cranberry and blueberry muffins ($1.95), and a display case holds pastries, danishes and scones ($1.95). The middle of the counter hosts several large brewers, all holding different blends of coffee, which includes more than a dozen types of coffee flavors, including french vanilla, blueberry, coconut, chocolate raspberry - even banana.

The flavors get even more interesting when you consider an iced coffee with a syrup flavor: Almond Joy, Banana Boat, Blueberry Muffin, Chocolate Cheesecake, Elvis, Fluffanutta, Twix, Funky Monkey, Mint Chocolate Chip, Nutella, Turtle, and of course, Tootsie Roll.

What's most popular out of all those gourment flavors?

"Our house blend," said Simonelli. "We brew New England Coffee, which is based out of Malden."

Coffee prices aren't the cheapest you'll see, but they're not the most expensive, either. A small hot coffe will cost you $1.69, a large, $2.20; a small iced, $2.10, a large iced, $2.80; a small specialty iced, $2.78, and a large specialty iced, $3.95.

On the front end of the counter is the gelato display, the smooth, creamy, lower-fat cousin of ice cream, that is made locally by an Italian wholesaler who imports his ingredients directly from Italy. A quick peek through the glass yields the smooth green of pistachio, or the pink-and-white sweet banana split. A small scoop costs $2.50, a large serving goes for $4.

The store opens early for the caffeine-addicted, at 6:30 a.m., and closes late, at 9 p.m., for the fans of an evening special treat.

How's business so far?
Business has been a bit slow since the business opened in early June, Simonelli said, but word is traveling fast.

"I had a girl come in who works nearby and she tried some gelato," she said. "The next day, I had a boy come in saying, 'I hear you have gelato.' That's what we're hoping for - just spreading the word among friends and neighbors that there's a new coffee shop in town."