Story Type: Community

When Mast General Store opened in 1980, it primarily stocked the goods that locals needed…milk, bread, clothing, coffee. Mast Store occupied the same historic building in the heart of Valle Crucis that had housed a general store since 1883. New owners, John and Faye Cooper, wanted the store to continue to be a resource for the community. One of the foremost things the locals wanted was the re-opening of the Valle Crucis post office, which not only provided a place to pick up the mail but also keeps the tiny rural community on the map.

Mast General Store has evolved since then. Instead of one small store in Valle Crucis, there are now 11 stores throughout the Southern Appalachians, all of which carry the staples that have made general stores famous, and also the addition of quality outdoor gear and apparel. The leadership has evolved, too. John and Faye Cooper have retired, and now their daughter, Lisa Cooper, runs the family business, which became employee-owned in 1995.

And yet, with all the changes, visiting a Mast General Store has stayed true to its core principle of fulfilling the needs of the community. For visitors, walking into a Mast Store still feels like stepping back in time.

---

It took a while before my parents could hire someone to come in and help with the store, and they wanted that person to be part of the family. If you’re spending eight hours a day with someone, you need to enjoy spending time with them.

I remember we were living on top of the store at the time. One of our employees — the sweetest lady — was without a home, and she stayed upstairs with us. That’s the core, the foundation of what my parents did for their employees, and why we’re now an employee stock ownership program company that helps employees understand how their work contributes to our success.

We just hosted our annual employee anniversary dinner, which recognizes those with milestone tenure – 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 years of service. It is amazing the number of people in all roles of the store who have spent so much time with us.

---

Our growth was organic in nature. Friends bought a store less than half a mile away, and they invited my parents to be involved. That allowed us to expand into the outdoor gear and apparel space.

Later, a department store in Boone went out of business, and the community leaders in Boone suggested Mast Store should move into the space. So, my parents sold our house to buy the building. Then another Downtown called and said we need to bring Mast General Store to Waynesville, N.C., and so on-and so-forth. All of the Downtowns said “we need a Mast General Store.”

My dad had a vision of “we can do well here” in the towns that contacted us wanting a Mast Store. We’ve been able to stay true to our roots and stick to small towns in and around the mountains.

Over the years, Mast has become a tradition for so many families. Whether you’re 2 years old or 102, you’re enjoying something about the store. You come to us for the experience, not necessarily for a need. We try to provide a local experience. I love getting out and working in the store. I look at people’s footwear when they walk in the store, and if they’re wearing hiking boots, I’ll tell them about a local hike.

Resourcing local is what people want to see. Locals and visitors alike want to be able to take something home from this area, and being able to provide it is important to us. Local products add to the experience. When you can say a brand is made here, it means so much to the customer and our employees, to represent the area we live in and to support those businesses.

“Whether you’re 2 years old or 102, you’re enjoying something about the store. You come to us for the experience, not necessarily for a need.”

Lisa Cooper

“ I’m so blessed to be able to live in a place where people want to come visit and I have the opportunity to do it every day. There’s something in the water here.”

Lisa Cooper

Thanks to Lisa Cooper for her time in creating this story. Thanks to writer Graham Averill, to interviewer Amy Allison and Videographer Robb Leahy. Thanks to the staff at Mast General Store’s Valle Crucis, Annex and Boone Locations, and Worldwide Headquarters for their hospitality.

American Whitewater is the voice of whitewater paddlers and river stewards throughout the United States, negotiating water releases with power companies to ensure our rivers have enough water for paddlers and aquatic species alike. The organization pushes for the removal of unnecessary dams so rivers can flow freely and works to ensure access points for paddlers, anglers and hikers. Singleton’s work has helped connect communities to the rivers in their backyards.

---

So many rivers have hydropower operations on them, so the energy company controls the flow of the river.

When the water is released, it flows from the dam downstream providing enough water to support aquatic habitats and recreational boating. Those releases used to be a handshake deal in the ‘80s, where the power company would work with the local outfitters to supply recreational releases, but they weren’t guaranteed.

American Whitewater works to guarantee those releases through federal licensing. We also work with the power companies to gain access points to the river for hikers, paddlers and anglers, which sometimes leads to access for greenways. It’s pretty cool, all this great work that supports fish, the local habitat, whitewater paddling and the community. These releases and access points become an economic driver for all of the communities downriver.

There are spots in WNC that mean a lot to me personally and professionally because the projects have had large impacts. Like the High Falls on the West Fork of the Tuckaseegee, which is drop dead gorgeous whether you’re a paddle or a hiker. We worked to guarantee releases for that two-tiered 120-foot waterfall. It’s a phenomenal thing to go and watch the water turn on. The flow goes from 20 CFS to 250 CFS. It’s like the tide comes in all at once. We supported the removal of the Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckaseegee, which was significant. It had no economic viability and was just a plug in the water. We were able to advocate for the removal of the dam, which opened up recreational opportunities. (Now home to Dillsboro River Company, Smoky Mountain River Adventures, Tuckaseegee Outfitters and is part of the WNC Fly Fishing Trail)

Then there’s the Cheoah River, one drainage over from Nantahala River. When I first moved here it ran dry because the water was diverted for hydroelectric production. American Whitewater worked to get a flow schedule of recreational releases and base flows to support the natural habitat. Now, recreational users get scheduled days to paddle on the Cheoah. It’s a fantastic resource for the region.

What gives me the most hope is seeing young people engaged in the outdoors and protecting these places, getting involved in that stewardship.

Mark singleton

“I paddle, I ski, I bike…I have been doing this for my whole life. I spend time in the outdoors. These jobs I’ve had were just a vehicle for me to continue to be a dirtbag.”

Mark Singleton

Thanks to Mark Singleton for his time in creating this story. Thanks to writer Graham Averill, to interviewer Amy Allison and Videographer Robb Leahy. Thanks to Nantahala Outdoor Center for their hospitality..

The Appalachian mountains are a beautiful juxtaposition. They’re ancient, and yet it feels like there’s still mystery here. Like there is so much to discover, that there are more things we don’t know than we do know. That makes it exciting every time you go out on a new trail. And still, for all the surprises, at the same time this region is remarkably familiar to me. My ancestors have built a long relationship with this place. It’s a mutual one that builds a spirituality around it: We take care of it and protect it, and it gives us the gifts we need to thrive. I’ve lived here my whole life, except when I went away for college and graduate school. A lot of times I’m asked why I came back. My answer? People work their whole lives to retire in WNC. I figure I’ll get a head start! But really, I don’t stay in WNC for lack of options. It’s not like I feel like I have to be here. I choose this area because of the connectivity of my culture. This place is literally the origin of our Cherokee people; those people who resisted removal. There is a sensibility to this area that for me, is rooted in having value for this place. Sometimes it’s hard to explain—it’s a sense you have that this is where you belong.

Even my writing process is informed by cycling. I  write mostly longform fiction, so I am concerned with, “How do I keep tension in a narrative?” For me, that is mirrored in cycling. Because cycling is often the question of: How do you drive yourself to that climax and then really enjoy the descent? I want to convey that same structure in my writing.

We often think of it as a cerebral process, but I believe that reading should be a physical process. If the writer is doing the job well, the reader should feel it. Often when I’m cycling, I’m thinking about story structure, sentence structure. I think cycling infuses my writing with that physicality that translates to the page. It gives me a tool for being more physical with my writing.

And then, there’s so much about observation that comes from being out in the middle of the woods. When I’m cycling, I’m constantly observing what’s around me—mostly so I don’t die! But it’s also natural to the writing process. And even when I’m riding with other people, they’ll make comments about the things that we see. It provides metaphors that surface in my writing.

If I’m having a good day or a bad day, I want to be at Fire Mountain. It just seems to balance me out. It allows me to focus on whatever I need to focus on, whatever I need to sort through. It’s something I can rely on; I know those trails so well. I went on a day ride recently that turned into a night ride without me planning on it. I was coming down on the descent, and I didn’t have my lights with me, because I wasn’t expecting to be out that late. But it wasn’t a problem. I know those trails so well. Even though it was hard to see, I could listen to the sound of that descent and I knew where I was going. That was a beautiful experience. To be at Fire Mountain feels like home to me.