So Alice and Bob are running a bakery in...where are they? Let's just say Boston. If your story takes place in a specific, extant location, some local color is to be expected: the natives of the place should act like people who live there do; the ones who are visiting should react to the unfamiliarity. But all that is complicated, particularly if it's a place you're not familiar with. Just start off with "It was a dark and stormy night in New York" and just like that, your tale is set in New York. Although, for the most part, the location is added in later.