Fall finally made it, and with that, it’s time to pick over the tomatoes, beans, peppers, and whatever else you might have lingering in your gardens one last time. You’ll want to savor what you can as it’s fresh off the vine, but what do you do with the excess? We have a few ideas.

As the tilt of the earth moves us a little farther from the sun, the calendar fills with outdoor festivities to celebrate the fall turning of the leaves, the end of harvest season, and the culinary arts. We’ve searched our communities for festive and fun suggestions to add to your fall itineraries.

Mast Store believes in recycling. And recycling on a grand scale - that’s why we have homes in historic buildings along bustling Main Streets in vibrant downtowns. We recycle internally, too, like using the back sides of our white paper for accounting forms or documents that will remain in-house. But we know we can do better … and we want to help others do better, too. That’s why we spent an afternoon at the Watauga County Recycling Center – to learn the best practices to keep the recycle loop looping.

It’s hard to believe that it’s time to make the closet changeover from summer to fall. If you choose carefully among last year’s trending styles, you can update your look by adding a few key items from this year’s emerging course. Let’s get started.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines friend as “a favored companion; one that favors or promotes something.” Woodrow Wilson once said, “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” The Mast Store is pleased to count several active community groups among our circle of friends, and on September 7^th, we’ll introduce you to some of them and will make a donation to support their efforts.

Stepping out on the front landing of Mast Store’s worldwide headquarters, you’ll hear what sounds like millions of bees droning away in their hives. On occasion, there’s a decidedly metal sound amongst the whirring, and then it might be followed by a loud crack or two. That’s the sound of a new “old” location coming together. This week we’re taking a look behind the scenes at preparations for opening our store in Roanoke.

It seems like back-to-school time comes faster and faster every year. The summer fun has just begun, and then it’s time to pore over checklists and see what still fits in the closet. We’ve put on our thinking caps, inverted and multiplied, and come up with the least common denominator list of essentials that most anyone headed back to class will need.

Summer means enjoying more time outside playing, relaxing, and spending time with friends and family. It also means it's time for easy-breezy summer fare. With fresh fruits and veggies in abundance and loads of simple summer recipes, you'll have this backyard entertaining thing down pat. And we can help. We're sharing our favorite simple and sizzling summer recipes for your culinary delight. Trust us, these are gold! 

South Carolina has given us a lot of great products. You might be surprised what our sister state has in store on our shelves.

Our Tennessee roots have given us many wonderful products over the years. Some of these you'll recognize as THE go-to for the items they create. Mast is proud to work hard to find quality products and manufacturers so we can bring you the best of the best in our local communities. 

With our roots right here in the Tar Heel state, Mast Store has many connections to local manufacturers, artisans, and crafters. From food to footstools, and everything in between, we've curated quite the collection of homegrown goodness to fill our shelves and serve our customers. 

It's time to celebrate the birth of a nation—and we can think of no better time to call out the great selection of products we carry that are made right here in the USA, some not too far from our front doors! That's right. You'll find local items, hand-crafted, bottled, stitched, or hewn right in your area as well as quality goods from across the US. Our Made in USA collection has gotten quite extensive and continues to add more and more fabulous products that we're proud to carry-- and you'll be proud to own.  

For many of us, summer is our vacation time, time away from the hustle and bustle, time to relax, time to dig in to that TBR (To Be Read, for those who don't have one piled three miles high) stack and read all the delicious books we've just been itching to devour. To help you choose some great reads this summer, we asked our employees what they will be reading and shared that with you here. Whether you're looking for a steamy escape, an engrossing whodunit, or a thought-provoking nonfiction piece, our recommendations offer a little something for everyone. So, take a gander at what we're reading, and maybe you'll find something to add to your own TBR pile this summer! 

Do you find yourself staring out the window, daydreaming about being outside enjoying the sunshine, listening to the birds sing, and seeing what wildflowers are in bloom? Well, you are not alone, not by a long shot. When we’re not at work, we’re out enjoying those same things. This week we’ve asked our staff members to share some of their favorite places to hike. Next time you’re in the “neighborhood,” check one of these adventures out.

Just what do you get the man who gives his all? It's a conundrum sometimes to think of the perfect gift for your awesome dad. After all, he's done so much for you over the years, and you want to show how much you appreciate the love, the sacrifice, the joy he has brought to your life. 

When we were kids, summers seemed to stretch out forever, like the taffy we pulled or like the distance to the peaks of the hazy mountains we call home. There was so much fun to be had in cricks and mud puddles, on crawdad hunts or special-ops Hide-and-Seek missions. Whatever we played, we played hard until Dark Thirty … or when mom called us in. For many of us, in generations that we remember as the good old days, the world was our playground—outside was its own resort, the living room was a fort, and when we got together to play … watch out, world.