Bodega

Unassuming storefront to say the least. Only when you look closely at the window of canned goods do you notice that the cans are of Warhol vintage. Opening the door I immediately thought I was in the wrong store, maybe I had stepped into a rundown convenience store in the Bronx. Then the guy at the desk points you towards the Snapple machine and ‘Boom!’ Door opens to a super classy sneaker store. Still no smiling though because hipsters don’t do that.
Despite what other reviews have mentioned, I thought the prices for the kicks on display were fair and petty close – or lower– than what I’d find elsewhere. And a good selection if you’re in the market for fresh pair of sick crepes.

Some good kicks. Better be sure you want it or you ain’t getting a return. Run around in store and no answer on line. ⁶⁄₁₀ selection

Cool shop plus great concept with some exclusive drops and a decent selection but parking is difficult so check them out online.

Very nice surprise!
I love stores like these.
I don’t want to give anything away… So I will just say… If your in the area, check it out. Doesn’t hurt to pay a visit!

Low-​key on the outside, but high-​end on the inside, Bodega has become one of the top places I take visiting friends from the Bay Area — especially if they’re streetwear savvy. The store has a lot to offer in terms of luxe urban brands, their own Bodega-​brand products, and unique shoewear, like some suave Nike Huaraches in a variety of limited edition colors. Bodega’s staff are also friendly and willing to answer all questions you might have regarding items, pricing, and what styles the youngin’s are rockin’ at the moment.
My only complaint is that I wish the store carried more in terms of women’s clothing and brands. Other than that though, Bodega remains one of the coolest stores in Boston.

Short, sweet and to the point. I was excited to check the place out, because it is such a cool concept. You walk in and it this old looking convenience store, walk up to the soda machine and whhhaaaallllaaa! It’s a secret door that opens up to the actual store. The place is very cute inside, but a tad on the small side. It is on the pricey side and the women’s selection was rather small. But it is still a cool experience.

Okay but def overhyped. Went inside through the vending machine and was surprised at how super small the actual store was. The store was much more expensive than I thought it would be. $ 40 to $ 42 for a t shirt kind of expensive. The layout of the store is very simple. The store itself is clean. I never interacted with the employees but they seemed attentive to customers. It’s fun to come here for the novelty of it, but it wears off pretty quick. Can’t really see a reason to return as the merchandise itself was also not that interesting/​unique.

Ever had a hankering for bag of Cheetos and wanted to pick up the J’s that just released in one stop? Maybe you wanted to cop those new Oxford Yeezy Boost and a few rolls of toilet paper? Well in Boston they got a store for you. Everything is not as it seems… Bodega is killing the game with that hidden door concept!
I’m Boston on vacation and heard about this store a while back, I had to make sure to stop in. Bodega is a must visit if you have any sort of interest in sneaker culture. This is one of the coolest boutiques I’ve ever been to because of the concept. The simple fact that you have to be in the know to know makes it even cooler.
I was with my family and they didn’t know I was taking them to a sneaker boutique, they were like «what do you need from here?» They even said the place looked closed until I opened the front door and walked in. I waited till everyone walked into the front part of the store before I stepped towards the Snapple machine. Then the hidden door opened and it was nice to experience the secret door the right way! Even though none of my family is really into sneaker culture they all loved the concept of the hidden entrance and bodega store front. The clothing was priced pretty similar to all street wear boutiques, the Unilocalers talking about sneaker prices being too expensive, should know they sell their shoes at retail. I didn’t see any shoes priced above retail so I’m not sure if they used to bump the prices up on shoes or if those Unilocalers were just uninformed. All in all we had an awesome trip to Bodega and would recommend it for a fun stop if your shopping in the area.
5 stars because of the unique concept and because we were able to experience Bodega the right way!

Loving the novelty of this place. Fake storefront with a secret entrance to the real store, cool. This was going to be a big surprise for me, but instead of letting Jeff find the secret button, they just opened the door. Maybe the pseudo hipster lumberjack look made him seem like a regular, but finding that button was the only reason he wanted to go, so that was disappointing for him.
Once we were in the store, it was my turn to have some fun. Shoes! But the space was so small, selection, especially for women, was very limited. Do not think those $$$ are an exaggeration. I can understand the high price point on sneakers, but you’ve got to be out your damn mind charging stupid money for a plain tee-​shirt that just has ‘Bodega’ printed on it.

I totally agree with you, I live in Clearway St as well and this weird store bringing strangers and unsafe people every time they make big discount or release a product plus, there is a stupid stuff who always block the back street entrance and even parking spots…
I wish they can close this store

Got a sweater and hat. Didn’t have a problem with any of the staff, they were welcoming and helped me out. Think the manager was helping me out (he was cool and hooked me up) and there was also a beautiful young lady checkin up on me… Overall experience was on point and thought the prices were reasonable. Get a job and maybe these prices won’t scare you…

Since my first review was removed because someone reported it, I’m posting it again. Apparently, Unilocal didn’t think I conveyed a «personal experience» with the business in question. That’s an absurd notion. I live one block over and my «personal experience» with Bodega is on a daily basis. Reviews should be about more than the service the business offers. It should also be about how the business fits in to the community and whether or not they make the community better.
But maybe this will help: they sell overpriced clothing and the novelty of the «magical» hidden door that takes you to the back room lost it’s novelty in 2009. Bodega is a detriment to the community and the residents of Back Bay deserve to know what’s around them.
I like Unilocal because it’s never let me down. Meaning, the reviews are spot on and, yes, at times they’re harsh yet honest. Unilocal can take this one down too. I’ll just keep posting it because it’s the truth. So, with that said, here’s my original review:
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I live one block over and I work from home. I constantly have to deal with Bodega employees congregating in the alley that separates my street from theirs.
They park their cars in the alley, blasting the worst kind of music at random hours of the day. My neighbor is a sweet elderly lady who enjoys spending time on her patio and she has to listen to music where every other word is vulgar. It’s not right. On our street, we pay way too much in rent to put up with this.
They also smoke weed in the alley, yelling at the top of their lungs as they do. I’ve been in the store once years ago and there are plenty of places to buy what they provide so there’s no excusing the nonsense. I hope the owner reads this because he needs to choose his employees more wisely.
One of my neighbors works in the Massachusetts office for the Better Business Bureau and he’s more than willing to step in if needed. The ball is in your court, Bodega. Knock off the foolishness.
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*UPDATE: Their newest thing is playing football in the alley. Since they can’t seem to throw properly the ball constantly goes into my yard or the yard of my neighbors and they feel it’s ok to jump over my 8-​foot fence and come right in. The next thing I know, I look out my window and there’s someone in my yard. NEWS FLASH that’s trespassing. I’ve called the cops twice about this and I’ll continue to do so.

My friend was so excited to see this place and check it out.
The store front was a fake «bodega» and when we walked in, a worker was standing in the secret doorway talking to the girl at the front. We totally missed the secret door thing!!! Eek!
We walked in and saw the store. It was cool, but super overpriced. Needless to say, we were in and out within 10 mins.

I was disappointed in the experience.
I was excited to go there for the initial experience and then see the hidden backroom.
We walked into a nameless, fake dingy convenience store, and 2 men behind a counter pressed a button and the large Snapple door slid open fast, leading into the sneaker store.
The experience was dull.
We get in there.
The shoes are highly-​priced, beyond what can be found in other «boku» locations and online.
For such a whack experience, it’s not worth paying all that money, in my opinion.
The reps on the floor were not friendly, just had a stone-​cold look.
A friend had mentioned to me, they’re selective in allowing only certain folks/​look through the hidden door.
I am a sneaker-​head, I just don’t feel the need to spend money excessively on a product.
Not impressed. It was all aite.

In the back corner of this tiny, dirty, run down, signless convenience store, just past the canned soup, laundry detergent, and soft drinks, you’ll find a Snapple vending machine. As you approach the vending machine, it will automatically slide to the left, revealing the entrance to the best kept secret in Boston: A high end sneaker store.
This hidden sneaker heaven is hip, big, bright, loud, and everything else that would make it the very last thing you’d expect to find in the back of a dingy corner store. They sell rare, limited edition sneakers, street wear, and bags at a premium, displayed on beautiful dark wood shelving.
Don’t expect to get a lot of pressure to buy something. In fact, good luck figuring out who actually works there and who is just hanging out to be in the presence of and drool over the much sought after kicks.
As I guess what would be (comparatively) a «sneaker noob», I didn’t find anything worth dropping a couple hundred bucks on. Souvenir-​wise, their «limited edition yo!» Bodega t-​shirts go for 40 bucks. I stuck with a couple of stickers for $ 1.25.

Awesome lil hidden gem… gotta do your homework to find spots like this. Looks like a convenience store from outside and even when you get inside it’s a lil Bodega really… Then bam they slide open the mechanical vending machine drinks door and woila it’s sneaker goodness… Great spot, great service and lots to pick from… Ask for some of the hidden gems… They may not be on the rack… If your in boston it’s a must stop for kicks and or clothes… Ill be back

Bought a pair of Nikes from Bodega recently. Ordered on a Monday at midday, and the shoes were in my hands literally within 24 hours — completely hassle free.
I was going to order the same pair from Oneness Boutique out of Kentucky, but their customer service was completely shite. Rude, impersonal and really just not geared for online sales.

This store is like a little hidden gem in the city. So much so that I avoid telling people about it because I don’t want newcomers here. While the selection of shoes is small compared to large chains, quality and styles of shoes are generally killer. My favorite part? The vending machine.

I’ve been to the store in person, and now, unfortunately, placed an order online. The in-​person experience was fine, I’d give them 3 stars for their product selection, but not 4 stars due to pricing.
But this review of 1 star is to help any future customers understand the reality of doing online business with a small, inexperienced online shop like Bodega. I got nothing against them, no reason not to root for them, as I like the product they offer. But at the end of the day, if you are going to put yourself online, you have to do a couple of basic things moderately well, those things are:
1. notify the customer that their order was placed
2. notify the customer when their order is shipping
3. be available for customer service
Bodega hasn’t, at this stage in the game, managed to take care of 2 of these 3 basics. My order was placed on a sunday and I got the standard email that says your order has gone through from
almost immediately, good start.
So I check my email throughout monday expecting some type of notification that my order was shipping, being prepped for shipping, shipping provider, something. Nada. Fine, it’s the holidays right? Maybe they are receiving a lot of orders. So I email
inquiring about the order, and asking whethr it would be possible for my buddy in Boston to swing by and just grab the stuff for me, this would even save them the shipping costs. No reply through middle of day Thursday, now 3.5 full days after the order was placed.
So I check their site, no phone number. No way to contact them except about 5 emails, including one for shipping. I try emailing them all. several hours later I get an email from UPS that the order has shipped, and will be arriving a full week and a half later.
Still no reply from anyone at Bodega to any of my emails.
Bottom line, if you are not in a position to communicate with your online customers, you aren;t in a position to do online business.
Take TurntableLab for example, same basic model just broader set of products and a longer history of figuring things out. Super responsive staff, good email and shipping communications, etc…
Bodega, you gotta step ya game up, son. Just trying to look out for you, and wishing you luck, but no need for me to go down this road again until there’s reason to believe you have taken steps to improve how this all works for your fans.

Checked in twice and been in the store a total of, maybe, 30 minutes and already Duchess of Bodega.
Welp, I have to write about this «grocery store» that’s, in reality, an upscale sneaker boutique. Who knew!?!
This spot was a clue in a scavenger hunt I was playing and on initial entrance, I thought «wow, small, old school looking cleaning products» and «where’s the shoes?»
Upon walking closer to the vending machine towards the back of the grocery store, it slides open to loud music, bright lights, and even brighter and expensive shoes!
Those Riccardo Tisci x Nike joints I’ve seen on IG was there, along with dope color ways of Nike Air Maxs and Roshes.
It’s the most clever thing to have a sound proof room like that. The marketing OR none marketing of Bodega adds to its mystique — only real sneakerheads know what’s good!