Mast General Store in North Carolina: Valle Crucis Best Kept Secret

Take a step back in time in historic Valle Crucis, North Carolina. Located in the historic district, it truly is like taking a step back in time.

The store opened in 1883 by Henry Taylor. Part of the store was sold to W.W. Mast in 1897. The store then came to be known as Taylor and Mast General Store. Six-teen years later in 1913 Mr. Mast bought the remainder of the General Store.

The Mast family continually ran the store for sixty some more years. They were the go to place for everything you would need. These items were as simple as coffee, candies, field tools, and they even sold caskets. If some could not afford to pay that was no problem for the Mast Family, they were glad to let you "charge" it, and pay when you could. If you could not afford to pay, they would also gladly trade with you on numerous items to settle your General Store debt. The General Store also served as a Post Office for the surrounding area.

The Old General Store quickly became the place to meet with your neighbors, and share stories around the potbelly stove. In August of 1940, a flood ripped through the area, and gave new meaning to the gathering place for locals. They used the store to pay respects to friends and family lost during the storm.

The store has passed many hands through the years. W.W. Mast passed the store to his son Howard, who years later passed it to his son. Who then sold the store to a professor from Appalachian State and a doctor from the Atlanta area. Around this time in 1973, the General Store was added to the National Historic Registry.

The store closed for 3 years in 1977 and was re-opened by John and Faye Cooper. They re-opened the store and the post office with hopes of making it what it once was.

One of the best features of the Mast General Store is the Candy Barrel. If you have a craving for candy from your childhood that you thought was no longer out there you can find it at the Candy Barrel. Every type of candy you can imagine is sold here. Buy a piece, a small bag, a large bag, or if you are really trying to settle up with a craving make an offer on one of the barrels that the candy rests in, I'm sure with a little old timey negotiation you could come to a settlement. Alright, maybe you can't buy the barrel worth but it would be fun to try at the Old Timey store, or to try and trade a barrel worth of candy for a few chickens!

Eight stores now share the Mast General Store name in some way or fashion and only two of those stores are out of the North Carolina area. The two stores out of the area are located in Greeneville, South Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Mast General Store is one of those wonderful locations where you always feel welcome, you can always find what you're looking for, and you can take a piece of history home with you.