Mast General Store

File:Mast General Store, Columbia, SC.jpg.]]

The building that would become Mast General Store was constructed in 1882 by Henry Taylor and opened in 1883. W.W. Mast purchased half interest in the store in 1897, and the store was renamed the "Taylor and Mast General Store". In 1913, Mast purchased the remaining half of Taylor's interest, and the business became known as the Mast General Store. The business stayed in the family through three generations until 1973, when it was sold to a doctor from Atlanta and a professor from Appalachian State University.{{Cite web | author = Survey and Planning Unit Staff| title =Mast General Store | work = National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory | date = October 1972| url = https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/WT0003.pdf | publisher = North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office | accessdate = 2015-07-01}} The store's slogan was "if you can’t buy it here, you don’t need it", a reference to the immense variety of items for sale.{{cite magazine |last1=Milling |first1=Marla Hardee |title=Mast Appeal: The couple who made Mast General a nostalgic icon reflect on the Valle Crucis store that inspired it all |url=https://wncmagazine.com/feature/mast_appeal |magazine=WNC |date=June 2009}}

The business closed its doors in 1977, but reopened in 1980 when it was purchased by John and Faye Cooper. In 1996, it became an employee-owned company.[http://mastgeneralstore.com/press_room_story_ideas.cfm Press Room] at official website. Accessed 7 August 2008.

The first store outside of the Valle Crucis area was opened in 1988 in Boone. It was followed by three more stores, for a total of six Mast General Stores in North Carolina. A Waynesville location opened in 1991, Hendersonville in August 1995, Asheville in 1999. A smaller concept store, Mast Store Candy and More opened in Blowing Rock in March 2005 and has since closed. March 12, 2003 would see the first opening of a store outside of North Carolina, with a store opened in Greenville, South Carolina, inside a building that previously housed a Meyers-Arnold, a regional department store.{{cite magazine |last1=Dash |first1=Julekha |title=5 Historic General Stores Offer Old-School Shopping in an Online Age |url=https://savingplaces.org/stories/5-historic-general-stores-offer-old-school-shopping-in-an-online-age |magazine=Preservation Magazine |publisher=National Trust for Historic Preservation |date=Spring 2024}} A store on Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee opened in August 2006. The ninth Mast General Store was opened on May 25, 2011, in Columbia, South Carolina.{{cite web |url=http://www.thestate.com/2011/05/25/1833720/its-official-mast-general-in-business.html |title=It's official: Mast General in business |publisher=The State |accessdate=2011-05-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528024257/http://www.thestate.com/2011/05/25/1833720/its-official-mast-general-in-business.html |archivedate=2011-05-28 }} The tenth store opened in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in May 2015. The eleventh and newest store location opened in Roanoke, Virginia in 2020.{{cite news |last=Fabris |first=Casey |date=June 14, 2020 |title=Mast General Store to open in Heironimus building |work=The Roanoke Times |page=E1}}

Image:Maststoreold.jpg

The Valle Crucis Mast General Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1973. North Carolina has recognized the valley in which it is located as the first Rural Historic District.[http://www.sherpaguides.com/north_carolina/mountains/black_mountains/mast_general_store.html Mast General Store] on the site of Sherpa Guides. Accessed 21 February 2007. It also won the L. Vincent Lowe, Jr. Business Award from Preservation North Carolina in 1998. This award is given to businesses that make special efforts to assist and/or promote historic preservation in North Carolina[http://www.presnc.org/learnmore/Complete_List_Honor_Awards.pdf Preservation NC Honor Awards Winners] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928142844/http://www.presnc.org/learnmore/Complete_List_Honor_Awards.pdf|date=2007-09-28}} on the site of Preservation North Carolina. Accessed 21 February 2007. It is located in the Valle Crucis Historic District.

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The Mast General Store committed to purchasing 3.6 million kilowatt-hours per year of "Green Energy" in 2006. Traditional fossil fuel would create 750,000 pounds of carbon dioxide to generate the same amount of electricity. This commitment was part of a campaign by NCGreenPower to expand the use of renewable energy in North Carolina.[http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2006/1113web/maststorelaunchesgreen.php3 Mast Store launches Green Power Plan] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130209030622/http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2006/1113web/maststorelaunchesgreen.php3 |date=2013-02-09 }} on the site of Watauga Democrat. Accessed 21 February 2007.

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{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina}}

Category:Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina

Category:Commercial buildings completed in 1883

Category:Buildings and structures in Watauga County, North Carolina

Category:Tourist attractions in Watauga County, North Carolina

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Watauga County, North Carolina

Category:Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in North Carolina

Category:General stores in the United States