VALLE CRUCIS, NC – Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina with a vengeance dumping 20 inches or more of rain in a short time causing flooding, downed trees, and landslides. Mast Store Annex sustained an influx of high water and mud and is closed while active recovery efforts continue. A re-opening date for the Annex has not been set.
In preparation for the storm, the employees at the Mast Store Annex deployed its pending flood protocol to sandbag doors, move merchandise to higher levels, and route high water under the store.
Dutch Creek did rise out of its banks and engulf the Annex, nearby homes, Valle Crucis Elementary School, and the Valle Crucis Community Park. Because of the mitigative steps, the merchandise losses at the Annex are minimal, but it will take time for the building and the parking lot to be open to the public.
“As we look around, we are overwhelmed with the destruction and damage we see,” said Lisa Cooper, Mast Store president. “Our first concern is the safety of our staff members in all our communities. With cell service and power outages, there are still a handful of people we haven’t been able to contact.”
Mast Store’s Home Office, also located in Valle Crucis, remains closed and its website is offline. Store locations in Asheville and Hendersonville are also closed. The Original Mast General Store, located just 2/10 mile from the Annex in Valle Crucis, received little or no damage from the storm and is open daily.
“People are contacting us asking how they can help,” continued Cooper. “We are taking monetary donations to support food security partners in Western North Carolina, the Upstate of South Carolina, and East Tennessee at all our locations that are open and will be communicating with our greater community with ways they can help everyone as we work together to recover.”
Several Mast Stores are open with regular or contracted hours including the North Carolina locations of Winston-Salem, Waynesville, Boone, and the Original Mast Store in Valle Crucis Greenville and Columbia in South Carolina, Knoxville in Tennessee, and Roanoke, Virginia.
About Mast General Store
The Mast General Store's original location is in Valle Crucis, North Carolina built in 1883. It is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as one of the best remaining examples of its type. The store houses an official United States Post Office and offers nickle coffee that you can sip, on cold days, around the potbellied stove. Being a true General Store, Mast General Stores stock over 400 brand names in categories ranging from hard-to-find home goods, the latest outdoor gear, fashion apparel, footwear, toys from yesteryear and local & regional favorites. Each location has an extensive knife shop and more than 500 varieties of old-fashioned candy by the pound. Mast General Store has eleven store locations. The Original Store and Annex (just 2/10th of a mile down the road) in Valle Crucis, NC - Asheville, NC - Boone, NC - Columbia, SC - Greenville, SC - Hendersonville, NC - Knoxville, TN - Roanoke, VA - Waynesville, NC - Winston-Salem, NC. Mast General Store's home office is Valle Crucis, NC. Visit mastgeneralstore.com for more information.