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sat10AM - 7PM
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What a difference a few decades make! The images of New York City were taken in 1970 (Bernard Gotfryd, Library of Congress) and in 2018 by Afif Ramdhasuma (from pexels.com). Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22 since it was established through grassroots efforts in 1970. It was a response to increasing concerns caused by smog (intense air pollution caused mainly by exhaust fumes), Great Lakes at risk of dying from pesticide runoff and waste dumping, and rivers that caught on fire (the Cuyahoga River in Ohio famously caught fire in June of 1969). It was also the year when monumental legislation was enacted to address all kinds of environmental concerns. ...read more
At Home | Inspiration
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If it’s true, as they say, that seeing is believing, then we at Mast Store would like to propose another entry to your quip collection: Doing is moving. “Doing” not only requires movement - “doing” moves you both physically and emotionally. ...read more
Local Flavor | Mast Family Favorites | Travel
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What is a library? It’s a big building with lots of books in it. But wait, it’s so much more. The library is a gateway to your wildest dreams, a place to learn, a place to imagine, a place to make friends. Today’s libraries are repositories of books, but they also are places to get help to learn to read or improve your reading, to improve your math skills, to listen to a performance by a string quartet, to watch a movie, to refine your crafting skills, and to gather with fellow writers. Yes, libraries are SO much more. ...read more
Adventure | Inspiration | Mast Family Favorites
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... Our favorite foods! Food is universal because everybody’s got ta eat! And the last two months of the year are filled with more than their fair share of family meals, work gatherings, special outings to favorite restaurants, tins filled with homemade cookies and fudge, and the anticipation of food traditions handed down from generation to generation ...read more
At Home | Recipes
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Even before we bought the Mast General Store, we were taken by the beauty of Valle Crucis. We’ve heard people describe the drive out Broadstone Road as traveling through a time portal. In the 1970s, fields in the river bottoms would be filled with tobacco, cabbage, or high with hay to feed cattle that were grazing in the summer pasture. ...read more
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The lucky few who have seen the Earth from a different perspective – astronauts - all echo the same viewpoint upon their return. Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut and the first human to go to space, commented, “Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it.”
Behind the Scenes | Inspiration
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The heart of any city is its downtown, where restaurants, boutiques, lawyers, hair salons, theaters, and many more enjoy the bustling hum of commerce. On May 25, 2011, Main Street welcomed an unconventional new retailer to its growing chorus of Downtown Columbia institutions when the Mast General Store opened its doors.
“The decision by the Cooper family to locate its store in the iconic 1870s building, commonly known as the Efird’s Department Store building, was a game changer for our Main Street and City,” said Matt Kennell, president and CEO of Columbia’s City Center Partnership. “It was a moment when we knew large-scale retail is back in our city and has led to a transformation of the surrounding properties as a destination for shopping and fun.”
Mayor Steve Benjamin echoed Mr. Kennell's thoughts, “A decade ago as cities across America were searching for ways to revitalize their historic downtowns, Mast General Store provided Columbia with the anchor to lead that charge. High quality, unique and authentic, the Mast family has helped to define our city’s resurgence.”
Revitalizing a city center is no easy task, and it doesn’t happen overnight. There are many fits and starts to find the right combination that works for each downtown. “When we first opened, Main Street had a lot of empty storefronts and lacked attractions that would entice people to come downtown,” shared Jeremy Becraft, Mast Store Columbia’s general manager. “Now there’s an eclectic mix of businesses, entertainment venues, restaurants, churches, places to live, a great museum, and the popular Soda City Market on Saturdays. It’s turned into a real community.”
Parts of the building date back to the 1870s, when this part of the city was rebuilding after the Civil War. The edifice has been home to numerous businesses including a grocery, a saloon, a furniture store, and even an undertaker’s parlor, but its two longest-running retailers served the community for 40+ years each. Efirds, a department store and major competitor for Belk, operated in the location from 1915 until 1958. Lourie’s, a men’s department store, moved in 1960; it was a staunch supporter of downtown retail until it closed up shop in 2008.
Photo: Efirds in Downtown Columbia. Photo by John Hensel. Used with permission from South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Over the course of the last 10 years, Mast Store has experienced many special moments, but one of the most magical ones happened on opening day. Ms. Hattie Marley stopped in to let the staff know that she “had come home.” She grew up in Columbia, and her family shopped at Efirds. Later in her life, she worked in the shoe department at Lourie’s. Ms. Marley was a very charming lady, and she shared her story with us. She noted, “Everybody is running for the suburbs, but you need to stay downtown for some things.” So, many cities and towns are discovering the truth in that statement.
As a downtown works to re-establish itself as a destination, it takes time and patience, but then you read comments like this one from Danielle P. on Google: I can’t believe all these years living in the Columbia area, I finally went into the Mast General Store! Conveniently located downtown on Main Street. ... I do love hanging out DT and discovering new shops and places to eat, Columbia has a small-town charm. The store is clean, packed and neatly organized, they have everything that you can think of, literally...Take your time and stroll, this isn't a store to rush thru, they have an upstairs and downstairs. You will miss something if you’re in a hurry! … Customer service is excellent!
“Comments like these make us so proud,” said Lisa Cooper, president of Mast General Store. “Part of our goal when we open in a downtown is not just our success but contributing to the success of other businesses around us. We build on each other’s success, and I’m proud of what Jeremy and our staff has accomplished in 10 short years.”
The Mast Store in Columbia is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday. Hours may vary seasonally.