Thistle & Shamrock

I WILL MISS THIS PLACE SO MUCH!!! for the nearly two years that i was lived in Cambridge, Thistle & Shamrock took almost half my food budget («budget») and kept me satiated. i loved the crunchy /​yuppie /​hippie food items here (they introduced me to delicious «Perfect» bars, almond + dark chocolate truffles from a brand i forget, «Bark Thins», etc…) that while expensive on the wallet, are delicious on their way down to the tummy. the staff is pleasant and it is evident that Thistle wants to build a communal atmosphere in its store. every morning there’s a new fact (of the «50 years ago today…» sort) on a chalk board that sits in front of the store and they have hot coffee every day and tastings every few weeks. in addition to being stocked with grocery essentials, they also two aisles of wine.

This is a great local convenience store that’s dog-​friendly; I am so grateful to have a store in Cambridge where I can pick up any essentials that I might need while I’m out walking my dog! They even have freshly baked bread and a nice selection of beer and wine.

Having seen this store go through a few changes over the past few years has been interesting. Once upon a time Henry’s wife (I think she was his wife or perhaps a different owner) sold home baked treats, then Henry was there almost exclusively, now we have two amazing new (I use this term with the sincerest flattery) yuppie owners who know how to show ‘em how it’s done with a convenience store that offers more!
Unlike under Henry’s reign (don’t get me wrong, I loved the guy) T&S now offers fresh/​unexpired items and fresh produce. The atmosphere is bright and inviting and the place has a new feel. They’ve also hosted wine tastings (I don’t attend but tip my hat to them for doing so) and have specials with the aforementioned produce.
This place has gone from zero to hero! However, despite how much I love it and will continue to support it I will never pay $ 15 for a tiny bottle of maple syrup. My jaw was on the floor when I saw the price sticker!
Either way, show your support and pop in. They still carry the basics (unexpired!) and a few things to tickle and please your yuppie fancy.

Really glad these guys are around. They’re friendly and stock an amazing variety of high quality stuff, like super bread. Keep up the good work!

Still awesome. Surprisingly good selection of good beer. Tastings occasionally. Fresh produce and baked goods! Talenti gelato for 5.50 (50 cents cheaper than shaws)! A surprising amount of vegan goods! Super friendly staff! Love em.

Excellent neighborhood convenience store. All the typical items, but a level or 2 in quality above the normal inventory. Limited, but excellent selection of beverages including beer and wine. Fresh organic produce, artisan cheese and lots of gluten free products. A great improvement from the previous ownership.

Loved the old convenience store that used to be there, but the new layout is much brighter and cleaner and more open. The beer selection is great!!! If you like craft brews, def check it out son

So great to have a neighborhood corner store that is beginning to stock healthier foods. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for the future. The stuff is still wildy expensive, but let’s give then some business so they thrive. We will be glad we did those nights when you are cooking and find you need an onion, some lettuce, ginger or whatever.

This great little convenience store is now under new management and undergoing quite a few positive changes as a result. They now offer fresh vegetables, a fantastic beer selection, and — since last week — a selection of freshly-​baked breads delivered daily from a local bakery that includes literally the best baguettes and fresh whole grain loaves that I have found in Cambridge. Seriously. And the new owners are great — super friendly and accommodating. Highly recommended; I go here all the time.

I can’t speak to the merchandise but I will give a big thumbs up for the owner Henry. In 2007 I organized the creation of the mural on the side of the store ((
). Henry was good enough to go along with my conceptual art approach and welcome the community members and class of Graham & Parks School 4^th graders who helped bring the mural to life. Here’s to supporting both the local community and the arts. Thanks Henry!

I have spent literally thousands here in my life. Mostly on jolly ranchers and now and laters.
My dad grew up in the same neighborhood and still calls it Gussy’s. It’s been here forever.
Back in the late 80s a black family owned it, then sold it to an asian family. They’ve had it ever since. Cool people, the guy even remembered me after being gone from the neighborhood for years.
The definition of Mom&Pop.

I thought I would clarify some things now that it appears the previous owner has left. I never came here before, but now the place is a dump. I’ve been there three times, and had experiences ranging from odd to downright awful.
1^st visit: I wanted a snack and a soda, but found the soda dusty and past it’s date. Then I checked the candy section and found a similar state of disrepair. Ended up leaving empty handed and hungry/​thirsty.
2^nd visit: Wanted some beer to go with dinner. Bought a 12 pack of Newcastle and paid over $ 12. Price listed on it was $ 9. Didn’t really think about it much. Taxes and deposit I suppose, but 33%? Odd.
3^rd visit: Saw ad on the exterior window for $ 16.99 PBR 30-​rack (judge all you want, but that’s a great price). Couldn’t find any in the store, so I asked and ended up finding one in the storage room. Brought it up and was charged $ 23. Remembering last visit and the 33% tax fiasco, I pointed at the sign and asked why it cost $ 6 more. Then he said the sign shouldn’t be there, and went to rip it down. He said its just $ 1 more now, and did I still want it. Confused, I pressed the issue that $ 23 was not a dollar more than $ 17, but got a taxes and deposit mumbling in reply. I ended up buying it since it was still only a dollar or 2 more than other places and much more convenient, considering i was standing at the counter already. Turns out the beer was skunked and past ITS date. Of course.
My advice: If you live near and want to take advantage of a close beer/​wine shop then get popular stuff that isn’t in the back or on sale. Expect to pay a $ 2-​$ 4 we have no business tax, and stay away from any food items.

My favorite convenience store.
1) The last reviewer from a year ago said that Henry sold the business and will be leaving in 3 months. Henry is still there. He’s great, but I don’t know him well enough to know what’s going on with the business. Hopefully he’ll be sticking around.
2) There are two kinds of slush: Ritchie’s Italian Slush and Slush Puppy.
3) Fantastic beer + wine selection for a convenience store. Was simply delighted to find a six pack of Stella here while moving in.
4) The biggest reason to go to Thistle and Shamrock: MuMu, a friendly orange kitty who lives there and is always either walking around right by my feet, sleepies in his box over the fridge, or running around on the duct work over my head like a cute little fuzzy Alien.

Henry’s a great guy and the Thistle and Shamrock is great for a quick quart of milk and bread in the morning, ice cream bar on a hot summer night, lemons on Christmas, etc. Their beer selection is pretty good for a convenience store and if there are home made spring rolls on the counter don’t buy any so that are some left for me when I come in. Prices are high, but you are buying convenience right?
Henry has sold the business and will be leaving in 3 months. Hope that the new owner is as nice as him.

it’s a nice little convenience store (grunge-​y, but nice and local feeling) that has been suffering because of the rebuilding of the walden st bridge.
i always wondered why i felt so at home buying hostess snowball treats from here and i found out why: the owner is vietnamese!
it’s sad that a place like this would be forced to be sold because of city improvements. people have dreams. it’s disheartening to see people’s dreams squashed.

I think they have changed their policies over the years, but every underage kid in Cambridge used to go here for a 40oz or two, and I’m talkin well before anyone had fake ID’s. Overpriced, pretty bad selection, but come on, I remember being in high school and going here for a 40 and a pack of smokes, and the kicker, it was under $ 5. Now I’ll break into song…“those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end, we used to sit…” How can I not give five stars to the people who helped shaped my liver into… well…when I die of liver failure you know who started it! But seriously, don’t go here unless you live REALLY CLOSE, but I guess thats why it’s a convenient store, and not a super market.