VisitNC Archives - Lisa M. Frame

Located in the small town of Valle Crucis in the North Carolina mountains, the Mast General Store is a little hidden piece of history. I’ve been visiting since I was a little girl. Originally opened in 1883, the store keepers kept everything on hand the community needed, including caskets. As the years have passed, the Mast General Store has not only strived to serve the local community of Valle Crucis, but the many visitors who pass over it’s threshold daily, serving up Southern charm and coffee at 5 cents a cup (paid on the honor system.)

Many don’t realize the integral piece the Mast General Store plays in the Valle Crucis community, and to the rural history of the United States. General stores used to dot the landscape of the US and were the hub where you picked up your mail, caught up on what was going on in town, and sold goods you could easily purchase, often on credit or via the barter system, without a multi-day trip to larger cities. I grew up in a town with a general store that was out of business by the time I was born, but you could still look through the windows and see the caskets waiting on their future owners until just a few years ago.

I was there during a recent trip to Boone, NC, and as it was a chilly, sunny day, popped in to pick up snacks for my road trip and to warm myself by the potbellied stove located in the center of the store. It was nice to sit in the rocking chairs, play a quick game of checkers, and sip on an RC Cola.

During my visit, I pulled out my camera and took the time to shoot a few images of the store, but not too many so as not to get in the way of the number of locals who were there picking up their mail (yes, the Mast General Store still has a working post office.) One of the young ladies who lives in the community, no more than 10 years old, watched me as I shot photos and then showed me her family’s mailbox. She comes in every Friday with her Mom and little sister to get the mail and a maple sugar sucker. It reminded me of a the simpler times of when I was a little girl and I’m pretty sure that’s the appeal the Mast General Store holds for so many.

While visiting the Mast General Store, you can pick up snacks for the road, preserved and pickled canned goods (I always buy the Okra), shoes, outerwear, cast iron cookware, home decor, skin care, the list goes on and on. It’s still truly a working store that serves the community at large and the thousands of visitors who wander in to experience a time gone by.

For the history of the Mast General Store, visit their website: https://www.mastgeneralstore.com/history/valle-crucis

Visiting the Mast General Store? Check out the community calendar of events and activities: https://www.mastgeneralstore.com/calendar?community=ValleCrucis

Over the weekend we decided to take a jaunt up the road to visit Mount Airy, North Carolina, the home of NC’s prodigal son Andy Griffith, and the inspiration for the town of Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show.”

It was an interesting adventure. Parts of Surry County, leading up to Mt. Airy and “Mayberry,” have been hit hard with what I refer to as “the great Southern economic downturn,” or the closing of all the factories. Driving by the Spencer infant and children’s wear factory, attached to downtown, previously fueling its economy, one is confronted with the starkness of that new Southern reality. The hulking size and chipped, worn paint makes it a ghostly reminder of its industrious past.

Once you get into town, you’re thrown back, if just for the length of one winding main street, to Mayberry, where you expect Sheriff Andy and Barney to turn the corner. Folks walking down the street engaged in conversation, tourists snapped photos, and locals discussed the events of the day. As I browsed the local bookstore/coffee shop (my talent is in finding these in every town), I was able to take part of the local atmosphere and revel in what I miss about small town living. The accents are something I don’t hear often and reminded me of my childhood in the NC Foothills. Patrons sipped coffee while discussing property lines, the cold snap we’re having, and life in Small Town, USA. It was definitely a moment, whether it be reckoning or awareness, of what shaped me to into who I am today.

Mayberry is definitely a place to mark off the list of travels in North Carolina if you’re a pop culture fan. There are the definite touristy spots named after the characters of the show, which add to the charm. My son is 13 and doesn’t quite get how much my husband and I enjoyed taking goofy photos and acting out scenes from the Andy Griffith show, but I didn’t expect him to. Where we grew up with Opie on television, he’s growing up with Chris Griffin from Family Guy.

We arrived too late in the day to try the Barney Burger at Barney’s Cafe, but loved seeing the life-size image of Barney protecting his name sake on the window. There was even a gorgeous 50’s model Ford Fairlane parked outside, which belonged to a local who was in town for errands.

When discussing this quick adventure with my son, he summed it up by telling me “the outskirts of town were worn down and it’s definitely now set-up for tourists.” And he’s right. What I wonder is if Surry County and Mayberry are planning for the future. While Gen-X, Baby Boomers and The Greatest Generation loves shows like Andy Griffith, what is going to happen as future generations start seriously adding to travel and tourism dollars? Are they going to want to revel in something as innocent as a town named Mayberry and the iconic North Carolinian which helped put it on the map?

Only time will tell.

Here’s Andy singing “The Fishing Pole” which is the theme song whistled at the beginning of every episode.