Cambridge grocery store Thistle & Shamrock is picking up the pieces after a Feb. 10 break-in shook the business and left much of the market in disarray.

And the store’s owners haven’t been without help: The community has come together, raising more than $7,000 through a GoFundMe to keep the 62 Walden St. shop afloat as it rebuilds.

“This is a small business full of heart and a core pillar of our neighborhood,” fundraising organizer Joni Seager wrote. “They can’t afford a ‘hit’ like this. Please help them get back on their feet.”

Store owner Jackson Hall and his family have been in charge of the shop since 2013 and have used the money to get a new ATM and cash register and replace their shattered window.


Their next investment, Hall said, is a stronger security system and upgrading their shutters so the doors don’t make a screeching sound and wake the neighbors when employees open up shop at 6 a.m.

He said once they fully recover any leftover money will be donated to an animal charity.

Seeing the community react the way they did brought everyone’s hopes up, Hall said.

“It was very touching to see the outpouring of support,” he said. “Hopefully people see that we are trying hard for our community, and it appears that they have seen that.”

And knowing they have local support helps the store’s mission as they move forward, Hall said.

“I think they like what we’re trying to build here,” he said. “We’re trying to build a community store … that bridges all demographics and incomes.”