Nostalgic Nook

Mountain Time Mercantile Traditional Fair with Modern Appeal

Five years ago, the Mountain Time family came to Burnsville and fell in love with the town, and the Main Street business community. Julianna came to work for Appalachian Java and Cafe, and Claudia and Kyleigh opened Mountain Time on Main St, both located on W Main. As business has grown over the years, Julianna was able to fulfill her dream in purchasing AppJava and has been looking for bakery space since her opening day in June of 2022. When New to You Furniture Owners, Craig and Jeanne Martin announced their retirement in the late fall of 2022, they approached Mountain Time about taking over their space on East Main St., that they built together 27 years ago. “We have loved New to You since we came to Burnsville, and felt so honored that they would consider us for their amazing space” says Claudia Honeycutt, Mountain Time Owner.“ We love working together as a family and immediately knew that Julianna and her team at AppJava would be a wonderful partner for us here. After much discussion, she agreed to come on board and join us in this new adventure.”

Mountain Time Mercantile, featuring the AppJava Sweet Shop will partner together under one roof, to provide a wholesale bakery, coffee shop, sampling stations for pickled goods, fresh baked favorites, hot teas, jams, jellies, Duck Fat cooking broth and spray, a full line of Frontier soups, cheese and gourmet crackers. The new Zia Pia line of Pasta and Sauces, delivered straight from Italy will be a welcome addition to our Vittles line. Apple Ciders, Grape Juice, Cocktail Mixers, Muscadine and Scuppernong Ciders will fill the shelves and provide some new summer sipping choices. The 90 ft front porch will be utilized for weekly live music, and also host tubes and mini Kat rentals for river fun.

Grand Opening has been slated for Mother’s Day Weekend, Friday and Saturday May 12 and 13. You’ll find Hot Duck Soup, a funky band from here in Yancey Co, Jerry Herbert, our Mountain Time piano man, Andy Buckner, Bill Wanazek, Town and Country, and numerous other musicians already in the line-up for the opening weekend and future musical events throughout the year.

Hours of Operation as we open will be Monday through Saturday, 9am to 6pm. Adjusted hours for musical events will be posted. We look forward to seeing you at the Mercantile. We are located at 601 E Main St.

Byways

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 102 the rest of the state by the Eastern Continental Divide where, it was said, that the only way to get there was to be born there. As the byway begins, notice the peaks (4,710 feet elevation) of Phoenix Mountain to the east. Just as the rugged mountains close in with their densely wooded terrains, the byway gives way to the verdant pastures along the creek bottoms that extend up the bluffs. This rustic countryside is a short distance from undisturbed natural areas such as Pond Mountain and the Cherokee National Forest. The byway parallels Big Horse Creek all the way into the town of Lansing and crosses it again in numerous locations, making it a great place to cruise with the windows down to enjoy the sound of the rushing water. Occasionally, the road rises and follows the ridge above the creek where travelers can witness spectacular views of the narrow valleys with farmhouses, farm animals, old barns, and country churches. The hillsides feature mixed forests with intermittent pastures and Christmas tree farms. The byway also offers a snap shot of culture through the renowned songwriting and performances of former folk music artist Ola Belle Reed, a National Heritage Fellowship award winner, who was originally from the New River Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

(Information from the NCDOT pub- lication “North Carolina Byways” was used in production of this story. For a digital copy of the North Carolina Byways Guidebook, click to www.ncdot. gov/travel-maps/traffic-travel/scenicbyways/Documents/nc-scenic-bywaysguidebook.pdf, or mail a message for a hard copy (with mailing address) to: North Carolina Byways Program, 1557 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1577.