About

Thomas Liquors is a fourth-generation family owned neighborhood liquor store and premier wine shop located in St. Paul, on the western end of historic Grand Avenue. We take pride in being a full service store with a dedicated focus on fine wines, craft beer and artisanal spirits. Our experienced staff can assist you in pairing a fabulous new wine with your dinner, show you the best IPA for your money, or offer a new difficult-to-get bourbon. Planning a party or special event? Our event planners can help with any size gathering, from a dinner to a wedding.

Our goal is to excite you with not only the popular bargain wines, but the hard-to-find wines as well. Staff members have traveled the globe discovering these gems. While we carry thousands of products, space will always limit us. If there is something we don’t have that you have been looking for, let us know. Special orders are our specialty.

We invite you to stop in, meet the staff and start shopping. If curbside pickup is easier for you — place your order online, select Local Pickup, and you’ll be notified when it’s ready. Delivery is also available on orders of $30 or greater. As for the online store and mobile app, not every item we carry is available, so just let us know if you'd like us to add something you know we have. Please direct all inquiries to info@thomasliquor.com. Thank you, we hope to see you in the shop!

History

The history of Thomas Liquors began in 1922 when Clarence Thomas began working at Rosedale Pharmacy, on the corner of Grand and Prior in St. Paul, Minnesota. By the late 1920s, Clarence was the sole owner of the business and had renamed it Thomas Pharmacy. It was during this time that the Thomas Pharmacy became a site of local lore when the Hamm kidnapper, Fred Goetz, left his ransom note in the pharmacy for Clarence to find.

As Prohibition ended, Clarence quickly expanded his liquor inventory to meet the needs of the thirsty Macalester-Groveland neighborhood. In 1951, as liquor sales soon outpaced the pharmacy business, Clarence closed the pharmacy and renamed the store Thomas Liquors.

During the 1950s and 1960s Clarence's son, Jim Thomas, along with his wife, Judy, took over the business. In the late 1970s, Mike Thomas began working full-time alongside his wife, Tammy, and expanded the business to be the wine-focused destination it is today. What makes Thomas Liquors unique is the four generations of Thomases that are actively involved on a daily basis.

We are dedicated to supporting Saint Paul and the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, and we thank you for your patronage!

MEET THE TEAM

Mike Thomas

Mike is the 3rd generation owner of Thomas Liquors. He is the backbone of this store. His commitment to his employees, neighborhood and community are well known. His wine expertise and his memory of what you purchased last year is amazing. You may forget — he does not.

His wine travels have taken him far and wide in the hunt for that perfect bottle. He was also chosen by Market Watch as Retailer of the Year in 2013.

Peter Vars

Our store manager and specialty wine buyer, started working at Thomas Liquors in 2007. Peter has completed his certified sommelier studies with the Court of Master Sommeliers, The International Sommelier Guild and The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (Advanced). More importantly, Peter is very passionate about sharing his interests in wine, food and travel with anyone willing to listen.

You can usually find him in the shop, atlas in hand, planning his next trip to a vineyard far away. Recently named “Most Trusted Retail Wine Consultant” 2018 Twin Cities Wine Awards.

Joe 'Fitty' Fitzpatrick

Joe “Fitty” Fitzpatrick has been a friend of the Thomas family since his childhood. After graduating from St. John’s and working for a beer distributor for a year, Fitty joined the Thomas Liquor team in 1998 as the beer manager. Since then, he lived and worked in Australia and New Zealand before rejoining the Thomas team permanently.

He has travelled extensively exploring beer and wine throughout the country and the world. Fitty’s favorite part of the job is talking beer with any and every customer!

Nick Thomas

Nick Thomas is the son of Mike, and the 4th generation Thomas to join the family business. He grew up in the business.

After college, Nick spent 3 years as a sales consultant at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, where he honed his craft and was chosen Salesperson of The Year. Upon leaving there he moved to California to work the 2019 harvest in Sonoma County, and then to Australia for further wine development.

He is back at 1941 Grand Ave and making changes daily. He is excited to prove what his generation has to offer.

Tammy Thomas

Tammy has held many titles and had many responsibilities over the years, but as of late she’s working mostly behind the scenes doing banking, billing, errands, and taking care of Bernie, to name a few.

She loves family more than anything and is a natural caregiver who treats every employee and customer like family.

Jim and Judy Thomas

Jim and Judy Thomas have been the backbone of our business for years. Jim took over from his dad in the 1950’s, and Judy stepped in while raising a family of five. Jim is the brains, and Judy is the one who does most of the hugging, and to the disdain of her employees, created “Judy Jobs” for those who were bored. Their customers are now their friends. Their joy is to watch their son and his son take on the responsibility of continuing their work. This is a family business that they are proud of.

Bernie

The mascot at Thomas Liquor is the dog extraordinaire, Bernie. Bernie can be found at work on the days he isn’t too tired. He sleeps in everyone’s way and will accept treats at any cost. Customers have been known to visit the store just to see Bernie and not buy a thing. Bernie is a rock star on the days he isn't too tired, which unfortunately is most these days.

Visit us

1941 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
(651) 699-1860

Mon - Thurs: 9am to 8pm
Fri - Sat: 9am to 9pm
Sunday: 11am to 5pm

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