Working at Mast General Store & High Country Local First in Boone, North Carolina--Victoria Potter

Interview conducted by undergraduate students, Ryan Munker and Serena Her, from Dr. Katherine Ledford’s Appalachian Stories course. Interview took place in Victoria’s office in the Green House in Downtown Boone, North Carolina, for the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, in conjunction with the Smithsonian's traveling exhibition "The Way We Worked."

Who are you, When and where were you born?
"I am Victoria Potter, and I was born here in Boone in 1993."

What do you do for a living?
"Right now, I work two jobs. I am a sales associate at Mast General Store in Downtown Boone, and I am the executive director of High Country Local First (referred to as Local First throughout)."

How would you say the work has changed since you started?
"Well at Mast, it just seems like we are not just retail, we are a tourist destination. It’s all about the experience so we just have to, maintain that good quality customer service and give them what they want. They expect to be greeted because it’s an old timey store that’s just the way it is, and you know, it hasn’t changed too much, we’ve always been about those values. Then Local First is really kind of the same, we are just trying to expand our membership and get our non-profit known more in the community."

Describe a typical work day.
"At Mast, I work in the Candy Barrel with all the toys and t-shirts and candy, and on a typical day you’re gonna fill tons of candy, especially after busy weekends, or on a busy holiday, and fold t-shirts and fill those, fill toys and just, you know, customer experience make sure everyone is finding what they need, helping everyone out, a lot of register stuff, I am usually on there at least three or four hours out of my eight hour shift especially on busy days. Then at Local First, I’m in my office and I do everything right now because I’m the only person that works here..."

Read the complete transcript below. 

Tags: BHS-work, BHS-Main-Street, BHS-Job-You-Had

Asset #7820