Mast General Store scouts downtown

Old-time mercantile and clothing store looks at possible sites in Winston-Salem

By Richard Craver
Winston-Salem Journal

Mast General Store, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northwest North Carolina, is considering downtown Winston-Salem for a retail store, its owners said yesterday.

The company, founded in 1883, has drawn generations of shoppers to Valle Crucis, which is near Grandfather Mountain and several ski resorts. The biggest attractions tend to be distinctive outdoor apparel and shoes, as well as the chance to dig into barrels filled with more than 500 kinds of old-fashioned candy.

Mast officials have made recent visits to review firsthand the downtown-revitalization efforts in Winston-Salem and to scout for potential store sites, said John Cooper, the president and a co-owner of Mast General Store Inc. with his wife, Faye. He declined to discuss possible sites.

I don't see how a Winston-Salem store could come close to the original store in Valle Crucis... I love to go up there and look around.