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mast general store - Knoxville

Knoxville
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402 S. GAY ST. KNOXVILLE, TN 37902 Plus-code-iconX38J+GH Knoxville, Tennessee

STORE HOURS

mon10AM - 8PM

tue10AM - 8PM

wed10AM - 8PM

thu10AM - 8PM

fri10AM - 9PM

sat10AM - 9PM

sun11AM - 6PM

old-phone-icon"865-546-1336 locations-iconmap & directions parking-iconparking star-iconlocal FLAVOR area-events-calendar-iconarea events

Purveyor of Past and Present

The city of Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee, but that was some 250 years after Hernando de Soto scoured part of the area in search of El Dorado. The plat for the town was surveyed by Charles McClung and included provisions for a town common along the waterfront, a church and graveyard, and a school, which was chartered as Blount College in 1794 (and was the beginning of the University of Tennessee).

Described as an “alternately quiet and rowdy river town,” Knoxville for a time was indeed part of the Wild West. The infamous Kid Curry, a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, was arrested and held in Knoxville’s jail. He later escaped and galloped out of town on a horse he stole from the sheriff.

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Story behind the store logo

The Knoxville store has been a retail landmark in Downtown Knoxville since 1898. The building was constructed after the "Million Dollar Fire" in 1897. The fire started in a nearby hotel and destroyed the entire block on our side of the street. The flames spread so fast and were so intense that the Chattanooga Fire Department was called in to assist. They put their pumper on a train that left for Knoxville approaching speeds of 90+ miles per hour.

When the building was rebuilt, it was home to the McNulty Grocery and Dry Goods Co.

In 1901 M. M. Newcomer's Department Store made the move from across the street into the building at 402 South Gay Street. It was one of Knoxville's bigger stores.

 

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The Knoxville store has been a retail landmark in Downtown Knoxville since 1898. The building was constructed after the "Million Dollar Fire" in 1897. The fire started in a nearby hotel and destroyed the entire block on our side of the street. The flames spread so fast and were so intense that the Chattanooga Fire Department was called in to assist. They put their pumper on a train that left for Knoxville approaching speeds of 90+ miles per hour.

When the building was rebuilt, it was home to the McNulty Grocery and Dry Goods Co.

In 1901 M. M. Newcomer's Department Store made the move from across the street into the building at 402 South Gay Street. It was one of Knoxville's bigger stores.

 

As an interesting aside to the history of the actual building, the Original Mast Store in Valle Crucis had a long relationship with Knoxville, which makes the store on Gay Street even more interesting. In perusing the invoices for goods purchased for the shelves from 1902 until 1920, numerous invoices had Knoxville addresses. One of the addresses is just down the street at what is now the Downtown Grill and Brewery. In the early 1900s, it was Woodruffs, a wholesale and retail house for all kinds of goods. There are also a number McClung Wholesale invoices. The McClung Warehouses are just a short drive from the store and are near the rail yard. Farm implements, barbed wire, and other items were stocked from this business.

In 1932, the Knox Dry Goods Store replaced M. M. Newcomers. Through the years it provided all kinds of goods and services including a beauty shop on the second floor. Knox Dry Goods modernized its name in 1954 becoming known as The Knox. It was a mainstay in the downtown area until 1977 when The Boston Store moved into the building.

In the late 1970s, many retailers had left downtown for the suburbs. The store was vacant until the White Grocery Store moved in in 1982 and operated until 1988. After that, the building was used for storage including sewing machines and all other items.

The Mast Store opened in August 2006.

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Plan your visit to Knoxville

Knoxville was a capital city of Tennessee. Now it’s a city offering sophistication along with down home style. While you’re in the area, stop in at the Visitor Center to enjoy the Blue Plate Special. Nah, it’s not something you eat, but it sure is a heapin’ helpin’ of good music, plus you’ll discover all kinds of other places you’ll want to visit, too.
Knoxville was a capital city of Tennessee. Now it’s a city offering sophistication along with down home style. While you’re in the area, stop in at the Visitor Center to enjoy the Blue Plate Special. Nah, it’s not something you eat, but it sure is a heapin’ helpin’ of good music, plus you’ll discover all kinds of other places you’ll want to visit, too. Read less ...
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LOCAL FLAVOR

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FROM OUR BLOG

  • August 15, 2024 7 minute READ
    Pigskin Preview: Color Rush & Conference Questions

    Pigskin Preview: Color Rush & Conference Questions

    There are so many questions to wonder about these days. Like, who was the first person brave enough to eat a chicken’s egg? Or why do some people think cilantro tastes like soap and others can’t get enough of it? How did certain colors come to represent the Volunteers, Paladins, Hokies, etc.? Or a burning question that we like to argue about, who thinks the college conference re-alignment is a good idea? And that question can lead to so many other questions.  ...read more

    tags Local Flavor

    locations Annex - Valle Crucis | Boone | Columbia | Greenville | Knoxville | Roanoke | Original - Valle Crucis | Waynesville | Winston-Salem

  • July 10, 2024 11 minute READ
    Tap into Tradition: The Evolution of Clogging

    Tap into Tradition: The Evolution of Clogging

    Did you know the State of North Carolina’s official folk dance is clogging? Yep, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted clogging as the state’s folk dance and shagging as the state’s official popular dance in an act executed on July 20, 2005. That’s recent history, but the roots of clogging extend to the country’s colonial period and even before. Photo courtesy of Joe Shannon's Mountain Home Music and Lonnie Webster. ...read more

    tags Local Flavor | Travel

    locations Asheville | Annex - Valle Crucis | Boone | Hendersonville | Knoxville | Roanoke | Original - Valle Crucis | Waynesville

  • September 26, 2023 6 minute READ
    Tastes of the Season: Fall Farmers' Markets

    Tastes of the Season: Fall Farmers' Markets

    Fall is here! The bridge between summer and fall is full of delicious possibilities: the last heirloom tomatoes and sweet corn linger, pears and sweet potatoes start to arrive, and more apples than you can name can all be found at your local farmers’ market. ...read more

    tags Local Flavor | Gardening | At Home

    locations Asheville | Annex - Valle Crucis | Boone | Columbia | Greenville | Hendersonville | Knoxville | Roanoke | Original - Valle Crucis | Waynesville | Winston-Salem

see more from our blog
area-events

AREA EVENTS

May 24, 2025

Event:
Market Square Farmers Market
TIME:
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Place:
Downtown Knoxville
More Info

May 31, 2025

Event:
Market Square Farmers Market
TIME:
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Place:
Downtown Knoxville
More Info

Jun 06, 2025

Event:
First Friday
TIME:
View More Info
Place:
Downtown Knoxville
More Info
community-partners

OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Second Harvest of East Tennessee

Foothills Land Conservancy

Friends of the Smokies

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