Courtesy Mosaic Weighted Blanket

Personal sleep and sensory disorders led owners Beth Peacock and Laura LeMond to create Mosaic Weighted Blankets.

The women have sold weighted blankets since January 2012, but opened the storefront in October.

Mosaic Weighted Blankets and other weighted blankets put slight pressure on the body to create the same sensation a person might experience when receiving a hug. They are thick enough to achieve the desired pressure but thin enough to use year-round, according to the company's website. The resulting effects can help patients with sensory disorders such as autism sleep more soundly.

"The deep-pressure touch ... actually causes the release of a chemical in your brain called serotonin, which is [a] happy, feel-good hormone," Peacock said. "After an increase of serotonin, melatonin is released, which provides the calming effect, much like what makes you feel sleepy."

Blankets range from small to large in child and adult sizes. During 2013, Peacock and LeMond plan to develop prototypes for weighted vests and weighted stuffed animals.