Mast General Store is in Valle Crusis, North Carolina. It was a short drive from our campsite at Flintlock Campgrounds in Boone. And it was along our way to the Blue Ridge Parkway for our leisurely scenic drive.
Our white Jeep parked in front of Mast General Store in Valle Crusis NC
The old Esso sign in front of Mast General Store
Mast General Store
Our friends Connie and Guy had told us so much about this treasure of an attraction that we needed to see it first hand. They didn’t steer us wrong. Mast General Store opened in 1883 in this Valle Crusis location. This is the original folks. And its well worn, creaky floors can attest to that.
Mast’s carries anything and everything
Quality goods
You really can find everything at Mast’s. We bought a jar of Apple Pecan Butter and a jar of Apple Maple Bacon Jam. Both are so fabulous that I was sorry I didn’t buy more. Thanks goodness they have an online store! But that’s not all. Besides old fashioned jellies, jams and butters they carry Stone ground grits and corn meal, BBQ sauces, honey, kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, and so much more.
Motto
Their motto which was established by W. W. Mast in 1923 hold true today. “Quality goods for the living, coffins and casters for the dead.” I’m honestly not sure about the needs of the dead. But that saying really does give you an idea of the scope of their merchandise.
The old pot belly stove used to heat the store
Mast General Store has been in business for 137 years. When it opened in 1883 it quickly grew in reputation for carrying everything from “cradles to caskets”. These days you will still find shelves packed with all that you would need for life then and now.
Checkers anyone? Sadly due to Covid no one was playing.
Old time barter system
Back in the day, credit was extended to all who needed it. And payments were often made in in the form of trade (a chicken for a sack of flour, and so on). If you wander back in the store, you can see the chicken hatch door in the floor.
“In the floor?” you might be asking. According to their website “That seems like an awfully funny place to put a chicken coop.” As the story goes, a couple of young boys took a chicken to the Farthing Store, now the Mast Store Annex, and traded with them for merchandise. Their chicken was duly weighed and put out back in the chicken coop. When the storekeeper wasn’t watching, they took their just-bartered chicken back and brought it to the Mast Store to trade it again. Therefore, the hatch at the Mast Store was put beneath the floor and secured from the outside to prevent those individuals who wanted to get more than they bargained for.
Loved this well worn wood burning stove at Mast General Store
In addition to being the community gathering place, the store also served many other needs over the years. It provided an office for Dr. Perry – one of Watauga County’s first doctors. It was a place for wildcrafters to bring their roots and herbs in exchange for store credit. And in the aftermath of the 1940 Flood, it provided a site for mourners to gather to honor the memory of their lost loved ones.
A trip down memory lane inside the original Mast General Store
When we entered the enormous, sprawling building we couldn’t help but notice the advertising posters that line the walls. These have been untouched sin Mr. Mast hung them decades ago. You will be standing at a counter where locals once bartered their goods or mail a letter at the community’s corner post office. There are still old timey bargains to be discovered along the way.
History of expansion
The Annex of Mast’s, just down the road a bit, was originally a competing general store. It was built of wormy chestnut and completed in 1909. Sadly this hardwood is no longer available due to the chestnut blight in the 1930s. Inside you will find an old rolling ladder that today helps reach items on the top shelves. Mast’s Annex now carries casual clothing with a mountain outfitters shop, and the original Candy Barrel.
You can still see the evidence if a failed attempt to “shop after hours” in a tight pattern of birdshot over the front door. The Valle Crusis Post Office used to be located there at the Annex.
Steve couldn’t resist a cold one from this coke freezer. Truth be told he had a Barq’s Root Beer.
Besides those two Valle Crusis location and a website they have expanded to many other locations. There are now Mast General Store outposts in downtown Boone NC, Henderson NC, Greenville SC, Columbia SC, Waynesville NC, Asheville NC, Knoxville TN and Winston Salem NC!
