Asheville: Mast General Store celebrates 25 years on Biltmore Avenue

It’s hard to believe that a quarter century has passed since the Mast General Store opened its fifth location on historic Biltmore Avenue in a resurging Downtown Asheville. Sunday, May 12, 2024, marks the date when the doors first officially opened to welcome locals and visitors alike. To celebrate, Mast Store is giving everyone who visits that day a free bag of its world-famous, freshly popped popcorn.

When the Mast Store opened in 1999, Asheville was expanding on its reputation as an outdoor and art haven and working to save the historic buildings in its downtown. By recruiting new retailers and businesses to set up shop alongside long-time stalwarts like Tops for Shoes and Malaprop’s Bookstore & Cafe, the city became more walkable and shoppable. In the time since, more galleries, studios, restaurants, and hotels have moved into vacant storefronts and buildings adding to the town’s eclectic vibe.

All Mast Store locations are in historic buildings in the heart of their downtowns, and each store has its own unique story. When the doors opened in May of 1999, the locals who came in shared stories about their parents bringing them downtown to shop at Fain’s, a bargain department store. They remembered riding the nickel-operated horse or finding outfits for special occasions. After 25 years, new generations are coming in to share their memories about the Mast Store.

The building now occupied by the Mast Store in Asheville has a rich retail history stretching back to the mid-1800s. Biltmore Avenue was a main thoroughfare linking the Upstate of South Carolina with Tennessee via the Buncombe Turnpike, which was completed in circa 1827. The building was originally constructed by George Augustus Mears and was home to several merchants including the Mears Daylight Store, an Army Outlet Store, Jay Mears Shoe Store, and the Bowers Bargain Biltmore Store.

The Mast General Store in Downtown Asheville is open daily, Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Seasonal hours may vary.