There are a countless enjoyable aspects of living in the Appalachians: the people — first, last and always; the changing seasons; the mountains and countryside; the back roads; the delicious food; and the High Country’s natural abundance for health, livelihood and recreation.

No list of High Country features would be complete without including the time-honored country store.

Such family-owned retail establishments typically serve sparsely populated regions. They are customarily stocked with a wide variety of everyday merchandise and offer plenty of smiles and good conversation.

Country Store Beginnings

Though some country stores appeared in the early 1800s, they sprung up in more significant numbers in North Carolina’s rural, agricultural society following the Civil War. These general stores emerged from farmers’ needs to obtain supplies beyond what they could produce themselves without making a daylong trip to town by wagon over rough roads. Farmers also needed a market to sell their surplus produce.

Country stores — sometimes referred to as trading posts — fulfilled many roles beyond commerce. They often housed the local post office, served as polling places, and even accommodated the town’s telephone switchboard. In the past, stores did whatever it took to survive, providing mechanical services, dentistry, barbering, and even filling the roles of justice of the peace and undertaker.

Regardless of location, the country store quickly evolved into a gathering place for locals to share stories; discuss the weather, politics and crop prices; air grievances; read fliers touting upcoming local events (e.g., elections and town meetings); play checkers on upside-down barrels; and perhaps even indulge in a few sips of whiskey and a plug of tobacco as they exchanged local gossip and debated issues of the day.

Another distinction of prior-days general stores was that proprietors also often extended credit, to be paid when the crops came in or in barter.

As automobiles and paved roads became more common, country stores began to decline, transitioning from places where one would tie up and water horses to offering gasoline pumps. With the advent of more accessible travel, these quaint centers of commerce — which for decades had dispensed most anything sought and, just as importantly, provided places to socialize — faded from the rural landscapes.

Whatcha need?

Back in the day, convenience stores carried whatever might be needed by locals. Staples such as flour, salt, coffee, nails, chicken feed, eggs, needles and thread, tools, nails, plumbing supplies, seed, etc., were generally stocked. Additional merchandise ofttimes included:

And of course, treats beloved by all ages, such as penny candies, bubblegum, and Moon Pies. The phrase “RC Cola and a Moon Pie” may be cliché, but it reflects reality dating back to the country store. Another first-rate combination was Cokes and peanuts — add the peanuts to the bottle and oh my, oh my, oh my!

The coolers in old-timey country stores were nothing like the dispensers and refrigerated coolers found in today’s mini-marts. Insulated metal-cased coolers adorned with brand names and logos of beverages were filled with water and ice. Flipping open the top would present sodas bobbing around like corks. Folks would fish around those deep chests, grab a soda from the cooler’s recesses and pull it out from the hand-numbing water. The first thing you did was check the bottom to see where the magic beverage was bottled.

Step Back In Time … Still Today

Although the number of general stores in this country has dramatically diminished, today’s generation can still discover, with a bit of hunting and conversation with locals, the special, welcoming atmosphere of country stores reminiscent of days gone by. Though fewer in number, they’re out there, dotting the rural landscape. In my neck of the woods in the High Country, two in particular still provide merchandise and that unique link to the past — Miller’s Supply in Zionville and Mast General Store in Valle Crucis.

Miller’s Supply

Miller’s Supply — more formally known as David G. Miller Farm Supply, opened in 1977 in the postage-stamp-sized community of Zionville, NC. David’s parents ran a fertilizer, feed and seed store, and Terri’s (David’s wife) folks ran a body shop. The two shops were combined, the body work eventually dropped, and, today, three generations of the Miller family operate a thriving mercantile business.

What does today’s Miller’s offer? The answer is perhaps best described by a frequent customer in a conversation with a family member: “If you don’t have it, we don’t need it.”

If you browse Miller’s chockful-of-what-you’re-looking-for aisles just a couple of times, chances are good that you will be greeted by your first name and a smile on your next visit. This country store exudes warmth and community, as neighbors and local business associates swap greetings, laughter and stories with the Miller family at the checkout counter. Seemingly, no one is in a hurry to vacate the premises.

The Miller family believes that serving the community is as important as selling a set of pliers or a pocketknife. “It’s good to know that folks depend on us,” says Terri. “We’re pretty far from town and blessed that traffic to our door has always been steady, particularly in the spring. Honestly, more than sales we truly value the countless relationships we’ve built with our neighbors and the support they have always given us.”

While Miller’s offers almost anything you could want in general merchandise, its biggest sellers are feed and farm supplies, fertilizer, hardware (plumbing and electrical), septic system supplies, culverts, and starter plants.

Depending on the season, Miller’s also offers the oddball “products” that harken back to its origins — e.g., farm fresh eggs, septic tanks, wood stove pipes and accessories, well pumps, and canning supplies to preserve the fresh vegetables you can also buy from the Miller family.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for as you peruse the aisles, ask one of the Miller family members at the checkout counter. I promise you’ll enjoy the personal escort to the shelf and make a friend in the process.

Mast General Store

The Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, NC, dates back to 1883. The mercantile still retains the look and atmosphere of its beginnings. A large rusted Esso sign decorates its roadside front, while other weathered, iconic advertising signs and calendars from years gone by — representing tobacco, local savings and loans, soft drinks, hardware, and more — are featured as the store’s principal decor.

Inside, you’ll find long counters, glass showcases, and side walls lined with shelves, drawers and bins. A small, still-active post office (in operation since 1980, in its latest iteration) is tucked into a corner right off the front door.

Floor-to-ceiling shelves line the walls, and an old pot-bellied stove sits in the center of the floor next to bins of nuts, bolts, and screws. A couple of chairs nestle against a checkerboard on top of an old table, with bottle caps serving as game pieces. I assume that a coal bucket from yesteryear and the ever-present spittoon are tucked away somewhere in the store.

During warm weather, the back porch serves as a place for shoppers to rest their weary feet. Rocking chairs, benches and a swing beckon. If you catch the right weekend, fiddlers and banjo players regale shoppers. Listening to the musicians’ conversations and laughter makes it clear that they’re having a hoot on the porch.

Today, the Mast Store is family- and employee-owned, with the family part being the Coopers, who purchased the store in late 1979.  There are now 11 locations of Mast stores in historic buildings in four states.

“We strive every day to carry on the traditions of an old general store with friendly and knowledgeable customer service and a wide variety of goods,” says Lisa Cooper, Mast Store President. “We are also local ambassadors and involved in our community, just like old-time shopkeepers.”

Carrying On A Way Of Life

If you’re traveling through this beautiful country, do yourself and your family a favor: seek out a country store. An old-timey general store has a character and authenticity that no Walmart or Dollar General could ever hope to replicate, along with shelves and bins that hold everything on your shopping list, plus some things you didn’t even know you needed.

Family-owned mercantiles like Miller’s and Mast have a rich history that shines through their present-day operations. And that, my friend, is a very good and cherished thing indeed.

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Addendum from LSomerbyCooke …

If you’re visiting the North Carolina High Country, check out:

David G. Miller Farm Supply
Address: 155 Slabtown Road, Zionville, NC 28698
Website: https://www.facebook.com/millersupplyinc/
Phone: 828-297-4488

Original Mast General Store
Address: 3565 Highway 194 South, Sugar Grove, NC 28679
Website: https://www.mastgeneralstore.com/original-store
Phone: 828-963-6511

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Important Sidebar: Both Miller’s in Zionville and the Mast in Valley Crucis suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Helene in September 2024, as did so many other businesses and individuals. The long comeback here in the High Country continues today. If you are interested in making a donation to help ongoing recovery efforts, please see nonprofit options at the conclusion of my blog about Western North Carolina Strong. Thanks …