The Mast General Store has recently dusted off its own marble-topped soda fountain that had been stored away in Valle Crucis for several decades.  Boone now has it’s own authentic soda shop.  

The soda shop was located in the original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis until this past summer

As a result, the Candy Barrel area of the Boone store has been enlarged to accommodate a turn-of-the-century soda parlor.  

The parlor features white apron “soda jerks” who will craft your soda creation from scratch using real carbonated water.  It used to be that soda jerks were the most popular boys in town.

In addition, the soda parlor fits well in complementing the old-fashioned candies that have long been many customers’ favorites.

By parlor, one means a room in a private home set apart for the entertainment of visitors. 

And that is what a soda parlor used to be, but it wasn’t in a private home. Instead, it was a place where the host was a white-clad conjurer of carbonated water who entertained all with his expertise in juggling glasses without causing a spill of sweet treats hand-mixed right before one’s eyes.

Today, the soda fountain serves many old fashioned favorites made from 1920s and “30s recipes. 

Flavored cokes, Egg Cremes and Phosphates, Black and Brown Cows, ice cream sodas, floats, shakes, malts and sundaes can now be ordered by students and  made with the soda jerk’s expertise.

Calvin Presnell, the co-manager of Mast General in Boone, said that so far being the soda jerk has been an absolute blast.

“It is neat to see people here who have worked, owned or been at a soda parlor in the past.  It is also cool to see the younger generation who had never tried a handmade soda before,” Presnell said. 

According to Presnell, tourists, as well as families have been his most common customers so far.

Presnell said that usually, after a long day of shopping, people stop by at the soda parlor to relive or experience for the first time a real soda like old times.

“People who have worked at soda fountains tell me about the drinks they used to make back in their time,” Presnell said.

Presnell said it usually takes 15 minutes to get an order together, and customers shouldn’t be in a hurry.  There is a lot to look around at, plus the soda jerk will make sure the audience is entertained at all times.

According to the soda jerk, his favorite recipe is root beer syrup, three scoops of vanilla ice cream and carbonated water mixed up together, better known as “Black Cow.”

During the soda parlor’s restoration, people who were involved in its process found out a lot about the history behind it.

First, drug stores used to have soda fountains because “charged water,” as carbonized water was called, was thought to have curative powers.  
Therefore, many pharmacists began experimenting with different flavorings, birch bark and other herbs, to cure different illnesses. 

Later, with the popularity followed by the growth of these drinks, many decided to go directly into the soda business.

Second, many towns in the earlier part of the 20th century were troubled with the popularity of soda parlors, especially those that were open on Sundays serving ice cream sodas. 

Therefore, town councils took action in order to ban the sale of ice cream sodas on Sundays with the hope of stemming the “dissipating influences of the soda fountain.”

Later, some confectioners decided to serve ice cream with the syrup of one’s choice, but without the soda, thus the “ice cream sunday” was born. 

The spelling was later changed to sundae in respect to those who thought it improper to name a dish after the Sabbath.

Finally, there was a movement started in 1938 by the student soda jerks at the University of Michigan.  They wanted to change the name of “soda jerks” to “Fountaineers of America.”  

The students formed the “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Soda Jerkers Who Want to be Known as Fountaineers of America.”  However, their efforts were short-lived.

Duane Woolbright, who is in charge of Mast General Store’s marketing and advertising, said the idea to move the soda parlor to Boone was to bring something back from our grandparents’ period to be relived once more.

“We’ve had the marble counter in storage for a few decades and decided we should put it to use.  However, the Mast General in Valle Crucis did not have the space, so Boone it was,” Woolbright said.

For those who may not know, Mast General’s original store was in Valle Crucis. It was built in 1883, and now, there are five stores spread throughout North Carolina.

According to Woolbright, the Mast General Store has recently won an award for its historical preservation, since they reuse buildings rather than building a new store.

Many generations have been part of Mast General’s legacy.  It all started with W. W. Mast, who built the first Mast General Store in Valle Crucis. Today, Alan Mast, W. W. Mast’s great grandson, works at the store in Valle Crucis.  

Woolbright said that after its reopening at the end of the summer, the soda parlor has been growing in its popularity more and more.

“We had a slow turnout in the winter, but as it warms up, business is increasing,” Woolbright said.

Woolbright did mention that soda jerks are still trying to get used to the goosenecks, which release the carbonized water.

“The equipment is rather temperamental, and it takes a lot of time to adjust it sometimes.  Even though it is a very time consuming process getting it to work, the end product is great,” Woolbright said.

Woolbright also said customers are served up in an authentic soda fountain glass, not a paper or plastic cup.  Yet, if customers want any of the soda jerks’ specialties to go, they can accommodate the respective needs. 

The soda parlor can also be the perfect place for a first date.  It offers a unique experience from our past, and its jerks are there to make the soda of your dreams. 

And, unlike other milkshake joints, customers may ask for more syrup or “charged water.”

For those interested, there will be a soda jerk contest this July.  Anyone who has ever worked at a soda parlor before or thinks they could be a good soda jerk is encouraged to enter.

Starting in April, the soda parlor will be opened Monday through Friday from 11 a. m. until 5 p. m.

For more information, Mast General Store is now on-line at www.mastgeneralstore.com.