Fantastic new Mace shop and off licence in Pentrefoelas. Just down the road from Ysbyty Ifan on the…read moreA5 They have just about everything you need in one place. Their new Welsh Pantry is Just fantastic. Wonderful Welsh made products and a great selection of Welsh Ales and Lagers (including Purple Moose Brewery and Tomos Watkins). The freshly baked bread is just amazing and the eccles cakes are even better.

Glan Conwy General Stores is a local shop for local people. It always reminds me a bit of…read moreArkwrights shop in 'Open All Hours'. It is very small and isn't the sort of place you'd ever think of for the weekly shop. However if you need a newspaper, loaf of bread or tin of beans you'll probably find them here as despite the lack of space they squeeze in most of the basics. It isn't the best location for parking but I suppose most of the potential customers live within walking distance. They also have long opening hours and always seem to be open when I go there. A very useful community asset.

Everything a corner shop could need, plus alcohol…read more If you're an avid reader of my reviews, you will recall an Italian Bistro I used to work at which used to send me out for pizza because it was on the menu but we didn't cook it. The same bistro used to send me running out to the 10 til 10 to get Amaretto for the occasional late night regular who'd prop up the bar and regale us all with the week's gossip. So it has always been the place for me where you can get emergency alcohol. And there's a decent selection. I do miss the way it used to be with a wooden frame separating you from the drink and grubby windows which students and tramps alike pressed their noses against whilst picking their drink of choice. These days they're a lot more trusting and let you get the majority of stuff yourself, but then they've obviously come under new management too, if the gaudy new shop sign is anything to go by. I have before and after pictures for comparison...

10 til 10 is a small convenience market that is actually open from 9am to whenever they feel like…read moreshutting, which is sometimes as late as 2 or 3 in the morning. I guess by lowering the expectations about when the shop was going to actually be open they expected that people walking past at midnight would be pleasantly surprised and would venture in and but Snack-a-Jacks and Blossom Hill rose aplenty. This is a particular gem if you have a friend, or indeed if you are a friend, who lives around the area. In which case a few six packs of export strength lager and a bag of minstrels procured at just-above-supermarket prices mean that the party can keep on going long after the last orders at the Pilgrim has been rung. Oh hells yeah.

This is a typical Spar on a busy High Street. There isn't really any convienient parking, though…read moremost people just leave their car on the double yellow lines outside. They sell most things you would want or expect from this type of shop.