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Stone Mountain Store: Center of the Bethel Community, North Carolina

As told by Thomas Lawrence
Bethel, Watauga County, North Carolina

Story Narrative:

A man stands in the doorway of a small white building with a sign over the door that reads, Stone Mountain General Store.

Thomas Lawrence talks about what it's like to run the only store in the Bethel community in Watauga County, North Carolina. This documentary was created as part of the Stories: YES program for Bethel School in Bethel, North Carolina, made by Anna, Bailey, Grant, Tilli, and Lula. It was made with the support and assistance of Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Adam Sheffield with Appalachian State University Digitization Services, storyteller Sherry Lovett, and Beth Davison with Appalachian State University Documentary Film Services.

Thomas Lawrence (00:14): My name is Thomas Lawrence and I was born in right here in Boone 1949, February the third. I know I never contributed till I was grown and gone, well I did help my dad. He was a builder and I helped him some through high school, but he was a builder and a part-time farmer as most people were here. Mother was just a housekeeper. They was seven in my family, so it took a lot of time. We run the store here and I farm part-time. We've been here 33 years.

Thomas Lawrence (00:53): I was on the road quite a bit, traveling with the jobs that I'd had, and I wanted to be here. The kids were going to school here and just want to be here and had the opportunity to buy the store. And I always like to being outside farm too. And you know your neighbors here.

Thomas Lawrence (01:13): Product lines have changed probably more than anything. All companies keep expanding their flavors and this and that and the other. Mine has switched a lot from small farm, like fertilizer and feed, more to convenience items, milk, bread, soft drinks, convenience type stuff.

Thomas Lawrence (01:34): Typical work day: I come in at seven o'clock and open up and then later my wife comes in, and I go do my feeding, or farm work, or whatever for a while. And then I come back and I usually close in that evening by 6:30.

Thomas Lawrence (01:53): You got to know your math. You got to do your percentages on your profit. And then there's a lot of bookkeeping, record keeping, tax purposes and that sort of thing. So, math's probably a good thing.

Thomas Lawrence (02:06): By living here and knowing most everybody kind of had an idea. And then you would just have to be a people person. Waiting on the public, it's rewarding, but sometimes it can be challenging, because everybody don't always come in with a good attitude that day. We all have bad days, I guess.

Thomas Lawrence (02:31): I watched my three children go to school here. And if we live, we'll see eight of the grandchildren go through school here. So, it's always a pleasure to look out and, whether they're mine or somebody else, see kids playing on the playground. It's kind of special.


Asset ID: 2021.12.02
Themes: Agriculture, farming, The Way We Worked, general stores, economy, jobs, market, retail, community, grandchildren, neighbors, generations
Date recorded: 2017
Length of recording: 03:04 m
File Type: Video
Related traveling exhibition: The Way We Worked
Sponsor or affiliated organization: Bethel School students, in collaboration with Blowing Rock Art & History Museum and Appalachian State University Digitization and Film Services
More informationhttps://museumonmainstreet.org/blog-node/students-traverse-mountains-get-know-their-neighbors

Media Files: