Fred's General Mercantile

Great little general store in Beech Mountain. You can find a bit of everything and anything here from snacks to clothing to hiking boots to hardware to Christmas ornaments. I wouldn't bank on doing all of your food shopping for a Beech Mountain vacation here, you'll be quite limited, especially if you're looking for fresh ingredients. The food options lean heavily toward packaged and canned foods, but they had some options for fresh vegetables, eggs, milk, and cheese. The guy that rung us up was nice and they packed everything into a box for us.

This is really the hub happening place in beech mountain. It's a general mercantile store and reminds me of the old small town "dry goods" stores, sort of like a very small ACE hardware that sells tools / nails / basic clothing, as well as a small grocery area (about 4-6 aisles total; plus refrigerated / frozen area and fresh produce corner). I appreciate the motto "if you don't see it, ask for it. If we don't have it, you don't need it". I asked for several items, and amazingly they did have them (50 foot rope, men's readers glasses at +1.5). My kids both chose beech mountain sweatshirts and sunglasses there. They also sell wine and beer with an eclectic collection including local North Carolina IPA beers, and French and Italian wines (I did not see any hard liquor there). We were able to stock up on frozen pizzas, pasta, tomato sauce, eggs, milk, butter, bread, goldfish snacks, ziplock baggies, paper towels, sandwich meat, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, etc. They also have basic toiletries (band-aides, face wash, shampoo, chapstick, etc). Lots of canned options - beans, soups, etc. Hot tea packets, K-cups, and coffee supplies. The only thing they didn't have in the grocery section is large frozen meats if you want to slow cook for a large group (ie: crockpot for pot roast, ribs, whole chicken), but that's not what this store is intended to be - it's not a large grocery store, it's a local mercantile store - If you want bulk groceries like that, then you would need to go to a larger grocery store a few miles outside of town. I really enjoyed shopping there. Fred's received their weekly truck shipment while we were there and were fast and efficient at unpacking. There is also an upstairs (3rd floor) area which is less crowded and sells holiday decor, kitchenwares, etc. I also purchased this book there - "images of America - beech mountain". There was a very nice collection of local books and magazines to purchase. A fun place to explore - and great to spend your grocery money supporting a local store, rather than a large chain. In my experience the staff was very kind and helpful. As others have mentioned - Parking can be tight, but if you circle around a bit something will open up and there is also some space along the road in front of the store - even tho we were there during a peak holiday season, I was always able to find somewhere to park.

Such a cute place! Perfect for what we wanted to see! It's like stepping into a Christmas postcard. It was snowing outside and they had a great outdoor area to hangout and enjoy the views! Hot cocoa was yummy & the deli inside was like you inside a snow globe!

Upon our second visit for a lost tooth brush we overheard the couple working the counter taking negatively about their customers loudly. They made many comments about how much they hate tourists, how they can always tell who they are based on how horribly they drive trying to navigate the roads and how annoying it is to share the roads and space with so may clueless people. It was my understanding that these were the owners of the store as well.

Tourism is a major supporter of this area and several businesses in the area depend on it. It's grossly distasteful to talk so negatively about people patronizing your business while they are in the your store shopping. Sad.

The absolute rudest and most unhelpful staff. They are extremely disrespectful and unprofessional. The attitude from each staff member was truly unacceptable, please do not waste your time and money.

Excellent store and great selection. Prices reflect location and that has to be understood. Everything ya need and more

PIES! Okay so I'd give their homemade desserts and pies 5 stars. The mercantile and deli have a different score, I'd say 3 stars.

I want to give this place 3 stars, but the pies have me at 5.

So, the mercantile itself has a nice selection of drinks, dry foods, alcohol, basic dairy products, basic produce, bread and candies. Pretty much just the basics like eggs, cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, bread, butter, noodles, sauces, chips, lettuce, tomatoes, fruit, etc.
Your basic mercantile. I thought the selections were better and more vast than most small mercantiles. They also have clothing, winter wear, deer feed, medicine, tools, etc. Just a good selection of stuff you may need!

The staff I thought would be more friendly for a local legend that it is freddy's. There was one lady, however, who was super nice.

The deli is average. I kind of expected better food, but it's honestly like a usual skiing cafeteria. Not really special food but a wide selection of sandwiches. I tried the ham and cheese melt the first time and didn't really like it. The seasoning on the sandwich was way too overpowering. The meat was fresh though. The club was better, but again nothing special. Fresh ingredients, but just average cafeteria type food. Kind of a quick lunch option for skiiers. Certainly a lot of people come here though. Prices are fair. Cheap lunch option.

Now for the homemade pies. Apparently a lady hand makes them and the store sells them. You order your pie 2 days in advance, and the woman makes them in her home and then delivers them to the store. The store calls you to pick it up. Literally a homemade pie straight out of someone's home kitchen hand made for you from scratch. Delicious.

We ordered a chocolate chess pie and a toll house chess pie. The chocolate chess was my favorite. It's basically a rich, creamy chocolate pie filling that is reminiscent of a delicious brownie. The crust was great.

The toll house pie was awesome too. It was like a chocolate chip cookie in pie form with walnuts inside. But, it's not a chocolate chip cookie, it's like a moist, crumbly pie filling. The walnuts were a little big, but that did not stop me from eating it and loving it, I just picked them out. It was delicious too. If I had to choose one though, it would be the chocolate chess.

If you're staying here for a few days, trust me, you will enjoy their pies. Anyone will. They are amazing.

They don't accept returns at the ski shop even with the tags & receipt! Be careful what you buy here.

We have been staying in the area for one month. Fred's has been our go to for groceries, wine, toiletries, souvenirs and eating in the deli. Nice folks.

When you are about 5,000 feet high in the mountains, it can be tough to find some food. Luckily, some buddies and I came across this nifty shop near our cabin. It was an absolute life saver to have this store so close since they offered really just about anything you can think of. The shop has a lot of personality and also has some very friendly staff. This shop satisfied all my grocery needs while also offering a wide array of souvenirs.