The Original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, has been around since 1883, which means that people have been travelling from near and far to make the Mast Store their destination for more than 140 years.
As Mast’s family of stores has grown to 11 locations across four states, tens of thousands more guests have crossed the creaky floorboards in each historic Mast Store.
Of course, getting from place to place is much easier today than it was way back when horse-drawn carts and wagons were the primary modes of transportation. Shopping has changed, too. Instead of loading up on supplies for a few weeks or months at a time, most of Mast’s guests nowadays are visiting for daytrips or vacationing on weekend getaways.
Still, one thing that’s remained constant over the years is Mast Store’s service to its community. Each Mast Store has its own local flair. Each is deeply rooted in its downtown or Main Street’s business community. Each partners with local nonprofit organizations that address the unique needs of area residents. And each acts as a gathering place where neighbors meet, unwind, shop for everyday essentials, outdoor gear, casual fashions, pantry goods, and candy (just to name a few things) while welcoming visitors dropping in to peruse wares, eye antiques above the merchandise walls, and savor Mast’s refreshingly slow pace.
The Mast Store Passport
Mast General Store is built on community traditions. While traditions often harken back to “old-fashioned” ways, they also give Mast a steady, thriving purpose as it welcomes new people from new places in a new century. New traditions come along, too, like the Mast Store Passport, which celebrates Mast’s history as a community destination as well as those who travel to experience it.
Landon Bryant, Southern ambassador and comedian, took his passport to many Mast Store locations during his Spring 2026 Tour. If you have a chance to see him in person - take that chance!
Launched in 2025, the passport allows guests to document their personal journey to each Mast Store location. Upon visiting Mast Store for the first time with a passport, the holder receives a stamp on the store’s corresponding page. The store’s page features a bit of history about the building and the community as a word of welcome to our Mast Store travelers. The passport also includes a space for you to record your own observations as well as a few additional blank pages reserved for stamps of future Mast Store locations.
According to Google Maps, the most direct route between all 11 Mast Stores covers 770.9 miles, and several families have already completed the circuit!
Wrapping up their visits to each Mast Store, the Geists of Charlotte recorded in their passport, "We thoroughly enjoyed the journey! It was great to see all the different stores in all the different towns. And wherever we went, staff was always friendly and happy!”
The Smiths of Westminster, South Carolina, wrote to Mast after filling up their passport saying that it provided a guide for their family vacations and rainy-day trips.
One Mast Store traveler from Seymour, Tennessee, earned bonus points when she hand-delivered her completed passport to the Mast Store Home Office in Banner Elk, North Carolina, soon after receiving her final passport stamps from the Original Mast Store and Mast Store Annex in nearby Valle Crucis!
A Trophy at the Finish Line
In case you’re wondering, the answer is, “Yes! There is, indeed, a prize for anyone who receives a passport stamp from every existing Mast Store location at the time they purchase their passport.” The reward is an exclusive Mast General Store-branded item, which isn’t available for purchase.
A complete list of eligibility requirements for this prize is posted at Mast Store Online and is available with the passport and store passport stamp at the designated register in each Mast Store location. You’ll find helpful answers to several questions about the Mast Store Passport program there, too.
In order to have your own passport, you must purchase it for $5 (tax not included) from any Mast Store location. Each passport includes a $5 coupon applicable to any one in-store purchase of $25 or more until December 31, 2026. We’ll look forward to seeing your passport when it arrives at our office once it’s complete (Don’t worry! We’ll send it and any photos or notes back to you along with your prize.), and if you haven’t picked up yours yet, it’s never too late to begin your Mast Store journey!
Whether you choose to go for the grand prize and visit each Mast Store location or you’re simply excited about finally having a way to “officially” document your Mast Store visits across our region, we hope that the Mast Store Passport offers you a new way to remember your Mast Store experiences and a new tradition that makes you and your family feel a part of the Mast Store community wherever you’re coming from and wherever you go.