STORES

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 128 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.

Back to the food, don’t forget to check out their private label Moonshine Pickles, Bear Jam, Frog Jam, Traffic Jam, and Toe Jam.

ORIGINAL MAST GENERAL STORE

Highway 194, Valle Crucis (828) 963-6511 www.mastgeneralstore.com

MAST GENERAL STORE ANNEX

Highway 194 S., Valle Crucis (828) 963-6511

MAST GENERAL STORE BOONE

630 West King St., Boone, NC 28607 (828) 262-0000

From outdoor outerwear, hiking boots and elegantly casual attire to unusual collectibles and keepsakes, Mast General Store has made a name for itself since the first store opened in the rural community of Valle Crucis, N.C., near the southern edge of Watauga County.

So successful has the company been through the years in nurturing a legion of return customers, in addition to the original location and its annex, Mast General Store now has locations in Asheville, Boone, Hendersonville, Waynesville and Winston-Salem in North Carolina; in Columbia and Greenville in South Carolina; Knoxville in Tennessee; and Roanoke in Virginia.

While early storekeepers might have tried to carry everything a community might need, from cradles to caskets, today’s Mast Store “offers a variety of goods from fashion to fried chicken cookbooks and toffee to tents.”

And don’t miss the barrels of candy sported by at least some of their locations.

BLOWING ROCK MARKET (BLOWING ROCK)

990 Main Street, Blowing Rock, NC 28605

(828) 414-9322 www.blowingrock.market

Right across the street from the Community Library and within shouting distance of town hall and Memorial Park, the Blowing Rock Market is as much a community gathering place as it is a general store. You just never know who you are going to meet because everybody that is anybody, whether full-time resident, seasonal resident, or day-trippin’ tourist finds their way to the market at one time or another.

Mostly it is about food and conversation at Blowing Rock Market. With a wide selection of beers, wines, and soft drinks, as well as local specialty cheeses, pastries, and baked goods, there is something for just about every palate. And the