General stores once dotted the countryside. They would pop up in places where their customers could easily access them in a day’s walk – maybe 8-10 miles apart or so. Their service to their communities was more than a place to purchase goods; they were connections to the outside world. A place where you could catch the bus to other towns or learn what was happening in Washington, D.C. and around the world. They were where you could get the mail, trade a chicken or some ginseng roots for a pair of brogans and some coffee, or where you would while away an afternoon talking about the big trip Eunice and Ethel were fixin’ to take or share frustrations over infestations of tobacco worms. General stores were institutions! 

Changing Times 

In Valle Crucis, as with almost everywhere, times were changing in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The big plots of land that were once covered in tobacco, cabbage, orchards, hay, and grazing cattle, might still be worked but were no longer the primary way to make a living. New manufacturing enterprises had moved into nearby Boone, which provided good-paying factory jobs making shoes, electronic components, ladies’ lingerie, and power tool accessories. It was easy to pick up a loaf of bread and some milk at the bigger grocery stores in town on the way home.  

Riding around several backroads in Watauga County, you will pass by many gray buildings sitting near the road that have a certain look to them - central door with windows on either side, perhaps a bench conveniently beside the door, and maybe an odd oval cement “island” right in the middle of a clear flat spot that looks like it might be perfect for a gas pump. As mobility got easier, and everybody wasn’t walking or riding a horse to do their business, the need for those small stores became less and less. 

The Mast family hung on longer than most, after all, the Original Mast Store was much bigger than most other community general stores and carried everything you needed – from cradles to caskets. But even with a wide variety of inventory, it was becoming hard for them to keep the doors open. The store was sold to a professor at Appalachian State University and a doctor in Atlanta in the early 1970s. They had big ideas they believed would help save the store. Exxon even pitched in by featuring the store in its annual report and helped to get it listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

And then... The doors closed in the fall of 1977. Everyone thought it was going to just be for the winter season, and the store would re-open in the spring, but spring came and went, and the doors remained closed. 

“We Knew Someone Should Save It, We Just Didn’t Know It Would Be Us” 

The Cooper Family had visited the store on trips to the High Country to ski. There was just something about it that made them leave their lives in Florida to move to the mountains and tie-on shopkeepers’ aprons. That’s just what they did. 

On April 30, 1980, they drove up to the Original Mast Store in a U-Haul and set about making it happen. To get a sense of what was in front of them at the time, Faye said in a video we shared for the 40th Anniversary on April 30, 2020, that they opened the doors and walked in, and she said to John, “What have we done?” And then burst into tears. Watch the full video HERE. 

We’re certain there were many times they asked themselves that question, and their daughter Lisa, now the president of the Mast Store, often says she wondered if they had lost their minds, which is exactly what an 11-year-old girl would think at the time. 

After the initial shock, the hard work began – cleaning out coolers that were just turned off  that fall evening in 1977, sweeping up dust and cobwebs, and meeting the neighbors. 

By the way, the headline for this section is a famous quote from Faye. 

Way Back When 

The journey of bringing the Mast General Store back to life has been one filled with beautiful friendships, many wonderful employees who are now part of the Mast Store Family, and incredible communities that partner with us to improve the quality of life wherever Mast Store has a location.  

As the family was cleaning the store, they made several discoveries along the way. Some discoveries were treasures and others made them scratch their heads.  

If you look along the highwalls in the Original Store – and any location – you'll see memorabilia that help tell the story of that store. John shared that one of the most unusual things he discovered was a hay saw, which he found while feeling along a high shelf where he couldn’t see. “I thought it was a lawnmower blade at first. It must have been left over from the early days of the store.” Hay saws were used to cut hay when it was stored loose in a hayloft or in haystacks. With the invention of square balers in the 1930s, hay saws fell out of favor. 

Faye in answering the same question said that learning about the chicken hatch was her most unusual discovery. It is a trap door in the floor of the Front Room that Mr. Mast would toss chickens through when they were traded. “We heard that story over and over again,” she said. 

Lisa said the most unusual things she found were bell bottoms and silver turquoise rings. We’ve seen photos of some of the merchandising from the late 1960s and early 70s; it would have been very easy to lose track of those items – or any items! 

Curious folks from the community were always dropping by to see what was happening in the store. Some would make conversation when they came by. We asked the Coopers what the best advice they received was during the early days. Faye shared that she was concerned about being accepted in the local community, “We were outsiders and from Florida no less. My mother said for me (and us) to treat people as you wish to be treated, and you’ll be fine.”  

John said his best advice came from a good friend and their former priest, “He learned that we were working seven days a week to get things ready to open. His advice was to take one day each week to get away from the store and be with family.” 

The former owner of the Candy Barrel is where Lisa said she found her most valuable advice, “You don’t have to like everyone you work with, but you must respect them.” She said that was followed up with, “And you don’t know what the person who is walking through your door is dealing with that day, so be kind.”  

If the Coopers could turn back the clock to the time when they first opened the store, they all spoke of being able to spend more time with their customers. Lisa said she loved the deli (which Faye started in the back of the store near where the coffee pot is now) because it gave people a place to grab a bite and to stay a little longer in the Valle. DYK: The original menu for the deli included a Tofu Sandwich? 

John shared that they would greet each customer and treat them like they were a guest in their home (and they were – the Coopers lived on the second and third floors of the Original Store for the first four years of their ownership). And Faye was a fan of the post office. “Having the post office has always been beneficial to anyone working in the Original Store because you get to know your community. ” 

The Mast Store is, well, just different. In some ways, it hearkens back to another time while maintaining a modern inventory. So, we posed that question to the Coopers – what do you believe makes the Mast Store different from other retailers? As you might imagine, their answers were different AND the same.  

“We’ve always tried to be very fair in all dealings with our customers. We’re not here to sell anything. We’re here for people to benefit from the products we have available for their purchase and use,” said Faye.  

John echoes that thought using a different approach, “Customer service is the most critical part of our success. When other retailers were concentrating on making sure their clothing was all lined up, we were paying attention to our guests.” 

And Lisa comes at it from another angle, “It’s a mixture of our unique merchandise mix, our people who enjoy people, and the added dimension of our displays throughout the store that integrate into the community.” 

Speaking of community, Faye also notes, “Our company has been built on the tradition of caring for others and putting our care into action and support for our community in the areas of human services, environmental and land conservation, education, and arts.” After all, what a general store does is work with and care about its community, right? 

The Stories They Could Tell 

Forty-five years is a span that is sure to be filled with many stories. Some we can share here and others that are better left to the dusty corners and cobwebs of the store itself.  

John said one of his favorite memories had a certain smell, and it was a strong one. The road passing in front of the Original Store had several skunks meet their demise one summer. The prevailing winds wafted their scent into the store to be “enjoyed.” Not too long after, someone erected a “Polecat Crossing” sign next to the road, and surprisingly, we had no more dead skunks.  

Faye’s favorite memory was from working with a customer at the register in the Middle Room, where mercantile, toys, and t-shirts are. The customer asked her, “Who owns the store?” Faye answered, “My husband and I do.” To which the customer replied, “He must be a genius.” She instinctively said, “Excuse me,” politely indicating that she may not have heard his answer correctly. And then followed up with an apology and “Oh, I must’ve heard you correctly.”  

She laughs about this encounter today because everyone knows how much every member of the Cooper family did to get the doors open and rekindle the traditions of an old-fashioned storekeeper.  

Lisa’s favorite memory has a happy ending for the Cooper family and a fortuitous one for many others. The pot-bellied stove was used for heat in the Front Room – and still is on frosty fall and winter mornings. A broom fell on the stove and caught fire. Thankfully, Faye smelled the smoke, and they were able to put it out before any damage was done. She also shared that her older brother threw a party in their apartment one weekend when their parents were away.  

Growing the Tradition 

On June 6, 1980, the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis once again opened its doors to the community stocked with penny candy, stoneground grits, galvanized tubs of all sizes, and more. With a goal of providing a traditional general store experience complete with friendly customer service and products of yore that remain useful today, the Cooper family got their start by listening to their neighbors and giving their time, talent, and when they could, their funds to support the community around them. They had no idea at the time that a general store that was off the beaten path would grow into a family of stores with historic locations spanning four states. 

Each Mast Store location is proudly proclaimed by its local community as “My Mast Store” because it is an ambassador of its community, a touchpoint for the community, and an active part of its community just like those small country stores that popped up along country roads in the late 19th century. 

Photo at right was taken near the opening of the Mast Store in Downtown Waynesville in 1991.

Thanks, Mr. Peabody 

Having a good guide is essential. If you’re wondering about Mr. Peabody, he was a time-traveling dog, who went back in time with his friend, a young boy named Sherman, to observe historic events as they happened – or to help them happen in the manner they are recorded in history books. Here’s an example: Peabody’s Improbably History – Surrender of Cornwallis.