Blend of present and past High Country general stores offer myriad shopping experiences BY JAMIE SHELL
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here is something special about being able to buy everything in one place. General stores have been romanticized for decades and in many places they are lost to time, but they are alive and well in the High Country. Fred’s General Mercantile, Todd General Store, Banner Elk Consignment Cottage and the Vintage Farmhouse General Store are just a few of the unique stores that tourists and locals alike flock to in the High Country.
CONSIGNMENT COTTAGE (BANNER ELK)
consign@skybest.com (828) 898-5733 Banner Elk, a town of woolly worms, Highland Games and High Country culture, is home to the Banner Elk Consignment Cottage. Just 17 miles from Boone, the cottage is a sought out store in the area. While Banner Elk often attracts a large group of people during the summer months, most people only stay at their summer homes for four-to-five months. Instead of hauling their replaced, fine furniture back to their primary homes far away, people bring them to Susan Brown at the consignment cottage for resale. Brown is selective in what she accepts and chooses to sell, which only increases the customer trust. In turn, the constantly-changing stock offers a potential for multiple visits to the store resulting in various shopping experiences. No two visits are alike.
FRED’S GENERAL MERCANTILE (BEECH MOUNTAIN) 501 Beech Mountain Parkway www.fredsgeneral.com (828) 387-4838
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PHOTO SUBMITTED Goober Peas Country Store carries gifts, groceries, local meats and cheeses, bait for fishing and more. The store is convenient to the Meat Camp township and Boone.
For more than 40 years, Fred’s General Mercantile has been a staple of Beech Mountain and the main outlet in the area. The main store consists of a grocery store, hardware store and clothing store. Fred’s can outfit the entire family for a weekend vacation, home improvement project and more. The grocery is a fully stocked grocery store that carries everything from canned goods to gourmet foods. The hardware section features Stanley tools, tire chains, screws, nails, nuts, bolts and more. Also on the property is Fred’s Backside Deli, which serves all kinds of food on a daily basis for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The company also takes advantage of its location by offering guest quarters for rent and ski and snowboard rentals. The store is also a great location to find information on all of the many nature sights, trails, mountain views and local events throughout the year.
GOOBER PEAS COUNTRY STORE (BOONE) 1773 NC-194 (828) 386-1017 It is almost hidden along Hwy. 194, going north out of Boone, but Goober Peas has 1,700 devoted followers on Facebook for a reason. If you are looking for fresh, locally grown food products, you are likely to
find them at Goober Peas. The store carries local meats, farm-fresh eggs, Ashe County Cheese, local jams and jellies, ice, firewood and more. You can buy Cheek’s whole milk by the gallon at Goober Peas. It is so fresh you the label says you need to shake it a bit to blend the cream on top. From their own private label Muscadine grape juice to premium, niche brands of root beer, you will find it at Goober Peas. But, it is not just food. Other interesting items include SallyeAnder Soaps, a fun collection of greeting cards, and a wide variety of other sundry items, most handmade by local artisans. SEE STORES ON PAGE 128
SUMMER TIMES 2022
