The original Mast General Store has served the Valle Crucis community for more than a century.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Overview                                                                                                                                                                    

The original Mast General Store is located on state Highway 194 in the rural community of Valle Crucis, N.C. The store has served the area for more than 100 years, and today attracts visitors with a wide variety of merchandise. The store was added to the North Carolina Register of Historic Places in 1973.

History 
Henry Taylor opened the store in 1883 as the Taylor General Store to serve the everyday needs of a growing community. The Taylor family sold a stake in the business to William Wellington Mast in 1897, and when he took sole ownership in 1913 the store was renamed Mast General Store.  

The Mast family operated the store for 60 years, selling everything from “cradles to caskets.” The first in a series of new owners bought Mast General Store in 1973, and the store closed in 1977. The current owners, John and Faye Cooper, took over the business in 1979 and reopened Mast General Store in 1980. 

Mast General Store began its expansion in 1982 with the Mast Store Annex, an outpost less than 1 mile away. Since then, the company has added eight more locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. 

Product summary
The original store's eclectic inventory includes cast-iron cookware, footwear, hardware and old-fashioned toys, among other items. Customers also can enjoy a 5-cent cup of coffee. This location also is home to the Mast Store Knife Shop, which features 500 different knives, and the local post office.

Store address, phone and hours
Original store 
3565 Hwy 194 S.
Sugar Grove, NC 28679 
828-963-6511 
Monday to Saturday: 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: noon to 6 p.m.

Mast Store Annex
2918 Broadstone Rd.
Banner Elk, NC 28604
828-963-6511
Monday ­to Saturday: 10 a.m.­ to 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

External links
Company website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

 Sources
mastgeneralstore .com
boonencinfo.com/attractions/mast-general-store
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_General_Store