August 2006 was an eventful month – Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet; the world’s tallest living tree (measuring 379.1 feet) was discovered in Redwood National and State Parks in California; all toiletries were banned on commercial aircraft after a major terrorist plot was discovered by Scotland Yard. It was also when the Mast General Store opened its doors on Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville.
Gay Street has long been a center for commerce in Knoxville. It was a part of the original plat drawn up by Charles McClung in 1791. From hotels and theatres to banks and dry goods stores, all manner of business was conducted along this historic street. But, like so many other downtowns, businesses started leaving Gay Street for the suburbs in the 1970s and 80s.
Knoxville’s renaissance began in earnest as the city made preparations to host the 1982 World’s Fair and started to turn the corner with the 2002 renovation of Market Square into a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use space. The city had plotted a course for revitalization that included restoring and re-opening its two historic theatres, with the Tennessee Theatre re-opening in January 2005 and the Bijou re-opening in June 2006, and expanding public-private partnerships and low-interest loans to help turn vacant historic buildings into restaurants, lofts, and stores.
Opening Day – August 17, 2006
The excitement was palpable on the sidewalks of Gay Street on Thursday, August 17. News crews gathered to capture comments, and city workers cupped their hands on windows to get a glance inside before the doors opened. It was a big day for Mast Store and the city of Knoxville as another step toward the center city’s revitalization was happening.
Mayor Bill Haslam stated at the ribbon-cutting event, “John Cooper and his team really respect and enjoy the history of downtowns, and it's evident in their transformation of this long-vacant historic building to a uniquely nostalgic shopping experience. There's simply nothing else like Mast General Store, and I expect it will draw visitors from across the Southeast."
The Mast Store has been invited to be a part of several downtowns as they begin their journey toward renewal. It is important for the heart of downtown to have a wide array of business types – retail, services, culture, restaurants – to attract residents and visitors. As co-founder John Cooper observed on opening day, “We have seen a vast and growing trend to recapture the spirit of downtowns across the nation.”
Making an Impact
The Mast Store’s goal is to carry on the traditions of an old general store, and that means taking part in the community, from volunteering time to making monetary donations. Looking back over the history of the Original Mast Store in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, W. W. Mast, the owner of the store, set the expectation with a fundraiser for the American Red Cross. Dating back to the spring of 1918, one year after the United States joined the Allied Powers in World War I, he proposed dedicating 10 percent of one Saturday’s sales to the Red Cross War Fund and issued a call for other merchants across the county to follow suit.
Today’s Mast Store follows in those footsteps with roundUPs asking guests to support local partners that move the community forward in the areas of conservation, arts, education, and basic human needs, along with making its own contributions.
“The community, locals, and visitors alike, truly value and love Mast Store,” said Natalea Cummings, Knoxville’s general manager. “This is a place that all the locals bring their family and friends who come to visit. All the local non-profits we support create such a valuable bond with Mast and the community. It is a feel-good place for all who visit.”
I’ve Seen A Lot
According to a September 2024 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years an employee spends with a company is 3.9 years. In a Kinsey Management report from 2022, the median tenure for a retail employee is 25 months. Tell that to Tamera Partin.
“I had no idea I'd work here over 20 years!” said Tamera, who was originally hired in July 2006 and remains the longest-tenured employee at the Mast Store in Knoxville.
She has witnessed many of the changes downtown firsthand. “We were investing in the store with sweat equity when I was hired in July of 2006,” said Tamera. “We were painting and moving fixtures around to get the store ready for merchandise.”
Tamera also recalled a downtown that was not quite as vibrant as today. “All that was open on Gay Street was Mast, an Arby's, and the Downtown Grill. A lot of the buildings were boarded up,” she said.
In her two decades at Mast Store, Tamera has worked with three general managers, helped open stores in Winston-Salem and Roanoke, and has encountered thousands of guests on the sales floor, including some pretty famous individuals. She has also used her love of the outdoors to provide reports for Mast Store’s Fall Foliage Primer, which included information on the current status of the fall color in the Knoxville area and places and/or events to enjoy on the upcoming weekend. Her current position is inventory support coordinator, which checks in inventory as it arrives at the store and fulfills orders that come in via the online store.
A Look Back at Gay Street History
Gay Street in the aftermath of the 1897 fire. From the Thompson Photography Collection. C. M. McClung Historical Collection, Knox County Public Library.
Almost everyone who’s lived in Knoxville more than a few years knows a little about the Million-Dollar Fire on Gay Street. It was April 8, 1897, when a stray spark in McNulty’s Grocery, which occupied a storefront of the Hotel Knox, started a fire that would become legendary. The street was burned to rubble from Union Avenue to Commerce Avenue.
Knoxville’s fire department was not equipped to handle a fire of this magnitude – especially when the Fire Department building and the City stables were also on fire, so the mayor wired Chattanooga for help. With a cleared track, a locomotive, tender, two flat cars, and a coach screamed toward Knoxville carrying a steam engine, 3,000 feet of hose, a combination chemical ladder truck, and nine firemen. Not even two hours later, the train arrived at 8:35 a.m. At 10 a.m., the order was given to dynamite the Arnold Heneger Doyle and Company building to form a firebreak. At 10:25 a.m., the fire chief declared the fire under control.
In just a few hours, the heart of the city’s wholesale and retail district was destroyed. An estimate of the damage initially came in at more than $2 million was later adjusted to $1.1 million. Insurance covered two-thirds of the losses, and many of the companies re-opened shortly after the fire in temporary locations.
The building that now houses the Mast Store re-opened in 1898 as McNulty’s Grocery. Many other businesses have occupied this storefront including M. M. Newcomer’s, Knoxville Dry Goods, which later became known as The Knox, then The Boston Store, and finally White Grocery Store. The building sat vacant or was used as storage from the late 1980s until Mast’s opening.
Connection to Knoxville
Even before the Mast Store opened in Knoxville, the store had a deep connection with the city and in particular Gay Street. A look back through old invoices dated from 1898 until 1919 shows many orders placed to businesses in Knoxville and along Gay Street. Woodruff Hardware (now the Downtown Grille & Brewery), Sterchi Brothers, McClung Hardware, and others still are recognizable names in the downtown.
Help us Celebrate
Happy 20th Birthday, Mast Store Knoxville! Stop in on Monday, August 17, for a free bag of Mast Store’s famous popcorn.
“We can’t wait to see what the next 20 years brings and are thankful to be a part of such a vibrant city,” said Natalea. “We enjoy engaging with guests every day and really get to know them. And we can be ourselves. It is refreshing for a company to embrace who we are - it's what makes Mast a great place to visit and work. No workday is ever the same, and I look forward to spending my day with guests and my co-workers."