The Original Mast General Store is located in Valle Crucis, NC. It was opened by Henry Taylor back…read morein 1883 as the Taylor General Store and has been operating ever since, so they are definitely doing something right! The landmark is on the National Register of Historic Places and is quite a popular place. While you won't be able to park right out front as they did in the past, there is plenty of parking located conveniently behind the store. W.W. Mast bought a half stake of the business in 1897, then bought the other half in 1913, changing the name to Mast General Store It was truly the Amazon of its day, offering everything you could possibly need with the motto, "goods for the living, coffins and caskets for the dead," which prompted the local phrase, "If you can't buy it here, you don't need it ." When the economy changed and the original store closed in 1977, it was thankfully saved and reopened in 1980 by preservationists John and Faye Cooper The front corner of the store features an active town post office The store spans two levels with beautifully creaking floorboards that instantly let you know you are in a nostalgic place filled with history. A lot of the original advertising posters from Mr. Mast are still mounted on the walls alongside the vintage counters and fixtures The original cast iron potbellied wood stove is still used to heat the store, the functional wooden trap doors in the floorboards still remain from where chickens historically were traded for store credit, and you can even get a cup of coffee for just 5 cents. You will find a massive variety of cast-iron cookware, old-fashioned candy in barrels, postcards, books, high-quality clothing, footwear, toys, and traditional mercantile goods. I even bought a delicious fried apple pie! The historic Little Red Schoolhouse sits right behind the main building and offers clearance merchandise, though I just enjoyed looking at the older architecture and reading about the school.

Been coming here for a few years now, we love visiting the area and stopping in for a moon pie and…read morea spicy ginger ale or cream soda!!!! There's so much to look at here, the property itself is stunning and surrounded by amazing nature, the staff are all warm and friendly, and you could spend literally hours here perusing the shelves. There's good old fashioned candy, popcorn, snacks, there's Valle Crucis souvenirs to bring home. It's never felt like a tourist trap, it's always felt very warm, country, and welcoming. The building itself is so old and stunning! The creamy floors and woodsy smells, it's always a treat to come here and there's so much to look at and buy. There's even a Christmas shop upstairs year round, where you can stock up on goodies ahead of time for Christmas. I'd say the value is pretty good, depending on what you're buying. Snacks, drinks, candy are all very affordable, but the souvenir and brand name products of course are higher up in price, which is to be expected. All in all, a wonderful place to stop by to grab a treat or bring home some gifts for family and friends. Highly recommend!!!

Stop by every year on a fishing trip. Great selection of hats and t-shirts. Lots of shoes and stuff…read moreto look at. Reasonable prices too. Really like this store. Staff is super friendly and offer military discount.

I love this store. They have excellent quality items & good sales. For a smaller store they have a…read moregreat selection of Shoes, jackets & sporting apparel. We stop in when we are in town to purchase an item. It's a tradition for us now. In a world of Amazon shopping, I love supporting a local, small town business!

The selection was great. Prices awesome. Heard great reviews on orders being handled in a timely…read moremanner. Good to hear customer service at this company is top notch. Thank you to awesome employees.

I would not recommend! I've ordered from them once before & had no issue, how this time around I've…read moretried placing 2 orders & both were canceled after 4 hours. First order I was told they were "out of stock" by the rep, which by the way took HOURS to get ahold of! She didn't even give me the chance to give my order number before she immediately said they're out of stock, so whatever. I tried to order different pairs this time, 4h later -- canceled. Again. You cannot get ahold of their customer service unless you're willing to wait hours, and when you do, they're completely useless. I will not be trying to purchase from them again, I'd recommend finding a different shoe company. This company is awful.

I grew up in the area but moved away and visit every couple years. We had not been to the outlet in…read moreabout 4 years since before the pandemic but were visiting and had a chance to shop here for the first time. It was nice to see all the jacket options, t-shirts, shorts, vests, socks, hats, shoes, etc. the staff were super nice and approachable and there are 2 changing rooms in the back right corner when you walk in. Prices are great (obviously outlet range), and they have lots of sizes. ----TL;DR---- Pros: plenty of parking, good prices, friendly staff, good selection Cons: none Bottom Line: if you need some Columbia sportswear brand gear, here's the place to shop

From the owner: Our Columbia factory store is located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina at Shoppes on the Parkway. We…read morecarry innovative outerwear, sportswear, footwear, and accessories for outdoor enthusiasts of all levels. Stop by our outlet store before you take on your next adventure this fall and winter. We have men's and women's snow boots, winter jackets, ski pants, and gloves to keep you warm this season. Whether sledding Blue Ridge Parkway, skiing the slopes on Appalachian Ski Mountain, snowboarding Beech Mountain Ski Resort, or cross-country skiing at Sugar Mountain Resort, we have the equipment to fuel your outdoor thrills. Shop our large inventory of performance products that will keep you warm, dry, cool, and protected year-round.

Tried to return a pair of shoes here today and they refused to take them back because they said…read morethey had looked like they had been worn. I only had the shoes on long enough to try them on and find out they didnt fit and they refused to return them for me. I use to work at a clothing store and if they looked bad I wouldnt have even tried to bring them back to them but there was nothing wrong with them.

My wife used to go here to buy SAS Shoes which are the most comfortable shoes on the planet (I wear…read morethem too, only them, and they are the only shoes that are so soft they require no breaking in at all). But the owner has told her (despite *his own employees* who told her that they were the best sellers in the store) that he is discontinuing all his SAS Shoes. This is a guy who obvious doesn't care about his customers. (He did say "Well, we can order anything you want." Duh, how do you know what you want if you can't try them in your store???) So we went last week down to Johnny's Shoe Store in Kingsport, where they not only have a nice selection of men's and women's SAS Shoes ON DISPLAY, but they also have really knowledgeable salespeople who can help steer you towards a good selection. We are both done at Southern Shoes. I would stay away if I were you. There are too many competitors that *actually seem to value the opinions of both their employees and their customers.*

In Blowing Rock, NC this is the place for outdoor and hiking gear and shoes. Those Keens caught my…read moreeye as my wife and I went inside. A minute or two for a separate staff person to come help us, as another staffer was there in the shoe area. A couple of try ons (as my shoe size in Keens can be 11 or 11 1/2) and I was ready to go; however, my wife who initially did not look the look of the bubble toe on the Keens (for women or men) was finally talked into trying a pair of Keens on and walking around in the shop. Comfort for her, and thus a pair of Keens for her and, of course, one for me. My last Keens were bought here about 6 years ago, are still quite comfortable and not showing wear, but sometimes you just have to spend a dollar or two and get more comfort, right? Yep.

Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Can't remember his name but he answered all of our questions…read moreand made suggestions for Grandfather Mountain!

I have lived in several cities in North Carolina and I have been struggling to find a nice place in…read morethe north western mountains to relax and get my hair done.I was very impressed with this hair boutique. The atmosphere is great! From the outside it does not look like it would be so cozy and inviting, but it is a nice escape once inside. Angie gave me a full highlight and cut. Since it was my first time here, she took her time foiling and constantly checked to make sure I was achieving the desired look. The washing and color toning part of the visit was extremely nice. There is a back room where the lights are dim and tranquil music is played, during this time Angie also gave a scalp and neck massage. Lastly, there is a very cute shop here as well! It contains many fun items, great for gifts or anytime. I definitely recommend! :)

This shop is an amazing treasure in the small town of Jefferson! Upscale designer clothing and…read moretrinkets and surprises around every corner, on 2 different levels. Great vibe and everything from art to high quality clothing to jewelry to reconditioned and repurposed furniture and baby and kitchen items and cute treasures for every pocketbook and size and taste. I am in love with this place. Do not be fooled by the entry that is it just a salon. It is SOOO much more.

My mom and I came up from Greensboro to visit some of her family. She's the daughter of Russell…read moreCheek and we stopped to pick up a few things. She wanted some pimento cheese but we were worried it wouldn't keep until we got home. The sweet lady (maybe the owner?) walk across the road to her house and filled a ziplock bag with ice so we could get that cheese home! Unheard of these days! Great folks there!

Stopped in today just to check out this store which was located next to my actual destination. The…read morelady working the counter was very nice and helpful. I just took a quick walk through as I wasn't really there to shop. The selection of clothing was good and solid name brands. If I were in the market for outdoor work clothes this would be a great place to check out Great selection of boots!

I enjoyed shopping in the cute downtown area of west Jefferson. This store was my favorite. It was…read morevery spacious and had a lot to offer. I love getting T shirts/hats/stickers when I go to cute towns like this and they had the best selection I found. If you are looking for boots this is definitely your place to go. My dog could shop with me here so that was helpful as well.

Bull's has been my go to spot for Western and Work wear since I moved to West Jefferson. They have…read morea great selection and enough staff to help you make the right choice. Very friendly.