Want an experience other than ordering impersonal packages from your sofa on Cyber Monday?

A different world — albeit a very small one — still exists on certain blocks in the East Village and on the Lower East Side, where merchants of various generations are still making, fixing or otherwise championing nostalgically tactile niche objects.

A baby boomer who caught the engraving bug as a 16-year-old coin collector in southern Ireland. A Gen X-er who discovered a knack for repairing Game Boy circuitry at the age of 12. A millennial obsessed with pencils. A family business owner in his 50s who, suffice it to say, does not specialize in the cashless movement.

One store has been in operation for over half a century. Another opened four years ago.

How do they survive in our land of high retail rents and ruthless online competition? Read on to find out.