General Stores

Before there was a booming Boone, paved roads, big-box stores, and modern construction, Watauga County was a collection of small mountain communities connected by trails, rivers, stores, mills, and the people who lived and worked there. In this episode of All About Home Construction, we go back to the early days of the High Country and explore the important role of the general store. We’ll look at Council’s Store, the early settlement that eventually became Boone, and how a simple general store and post office became the center of a growing community. We’ll talk about why old general stores were so important—not just for buying supplies, but as post offices, places of credit and barter, sources of news, and gathering places. It’s a look at the High Country not just through its history—but through the buildings, businesses, forests, and people that built it.