Mac's Smoke Shop

About Mac's Smoke Shop

Mac's Smoke Shop is a family-run store at 534 Emerson Street in downtown Palo Alto, just off University Avenue. It sells cigars and tobacco along with beer, wine, soda, snacks, CBD products and its own merchandise. The shop says it has been a fixture downtown for more than 85 years. The interior is decorated with classic Palo Alto and Bay Area memorabilia.

The store keeps long hours. Its website lists it as open every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., so it is open well before most downtown shops and long after many close.

A long downtown history

According to the shop's own account, Mac's was founded by Glenn and Ruth McManus. "Mac" comes from the family name. The original store stood just across the street from today's location. It sold cigars, a house blend of loose-leaf tobacco and candy. It even had barbershop chairs in the back. A wide rack of newspapers, paperbacks and magazines from around the world made it a stop for locals from across the Peninsula and for Stanford professors.

When their son Alfred, known as Al, came home from service in World War II, Glenn and Ruth sold him the business. Al and his wife Kathleen ran the store while raising two daughters, keeping it open from early morning to late evening seven days a week. The shop's history notes that Al also found time to become a private pilot and a champion skeet shooter. He retired in 1979 and sold the store to Tom Del Sarto and Bob Duggun. The current owners say they have widened the product range as customer needs changed while keeping the family feel.

The story mirrors downtown's own changes. A shop that once doubled as a newsstand and a barbershop now leans on drinks, snacks and specialty items, while still keeping the same family-owned character and the same seven-day schedule that Al and Kathleen ran. For more on how downtown grew around stores like this one, see our Palo Alto history page.

What the store sells

• Cigars and tobacco: the shop's original trade, still at the center of the store.
• Beer and wine: bottles and cans to take away.
• Soda and snacks: drinks and quick bites for people passing through downtown.
• CBD products: listed among the store's current lines.
• Merchandise: Mac's branded items, a nod to the shop's long run on Emerson Street.

The website's photo pages show the shop from its early years to today, including staff, customers and the storefront.

Age rules

Federal and California law set the minimum age for buying tobacco and related products at 21. Mac's posts that rule on every page of its website. The site also carries the state's Proposition 65 warning that some products contain nicotine, which California lists as causing birth defects or other reproductive harm. Bring ID if you plan to buy anything age-restricted, including beer and wine.

Who it suits

Cigar smokers are the store's core customers. The shop has sold cigars since its first days across the street. The long daily hours also make it practical for anyone downtown who needs a cold drink, a snack or a bottle of wine before or after the usual retail day, from early commuters to people leaving a late dinner on Emerson Street. Visitors curious about old Palo Alto may enjoy a look at the memorabilia on the walls, a reminder of the decades when the shop sold newspapers and paperbacks to Stanford faculty. The website also has a members area for regular customers.

Tips for visiting

• The early opening time makes Mac's handy before a morning train. The Palo Alto Caltrain station is a short walk away.
• Pair a stop with a walk along University Avenue, which has cafes and shops in both directions.
• Questions go to 650-323-3724 or [email protected]. The shop's website lists the phone, email and hours on its Visit Us page.
• Look across Emerson Street when you leave. The first Mac's stood on the opposite side of the street, according to the shop's history.

Location and getting there

Mac's Smoke Shop is at 534 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in the Downtown area of Palo Alto. Our Downtown guide covers what else is around.

The Palo Alto Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.

What is nearby

• Bare Bowls, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• Kitchen Nail Bar, salon or spa, under 0.1 mi
• Thaiphoon, restaurant, under 0.1 mi
• Palo Alto Creamery, restaurant, under 0.1 mi
• Mendocino Farms, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• Lytton Plaza, under 0.1 mi
• University Avenue, under 0.1 mi
• Pacific Art League, 0.1 mi

Other books, gifts, art and specialty shops nearby: Bell's Books (under 0.1 mi); T-Mobile University Avenue (under 0.1 mi); Verizon University Avenue (under 0.1 mi); Qualia Contemporary Art (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full books, gifts, art and specialty shops list.

Before you go

• Hours for small shops can change with the seasons and holidays. Check before making a special trip.
• Many independent shops will order items they do not have in stock. Just ask at the counter.
• Gift wrapping is often available, especially around the holidays.

About this listing

Checked October 30, 2026 against Mac's Smoke Shop website; About Mac's; Visit Mac's; Inside Mac's. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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