Fred's General Mercantile

This is a great place for just about anything you need. They have lots of gift items, a great little hardware section, another section for grocery items, and a perfect sit down lunch deli area downstairs in an open sun room. They advertise breakfast and I'm sure that is just as good. My daughter had the club sandwich (Boar's Head deli meats) and I had the chicken salad lunch plate that came with coleslaw slaw and potato salad. I have a saying that if you can't make coleslaw right then I don't trust the rest of your cooking. The coleslaw slaw was really good like homemade good and so was the potato salad. The chicken salad is better than, dare I say...Chicken Salad Chick. They also have good tea. Everyone is very hospitable and it was a great little place to visit. I also purchased some Sourwood Honey, which I can't find in Florida and if you do it's so expensive. 5 stars!

Fred's is adorable! Exactly like you would expect in the 1950's! Although the prices are definitely 2025, maybe 2050, but that's expected for the convenience of not having to drive down the mountain at night! They definitely have a little bit of everything, including the mountain charm!

A total ski-town gem. This old-school general store has all the cozy charm you hope for—wood floors, shelves packed with local staples, and that timeless small-town vibe. Downstairs, the deli & grill is the real treat, serving up classic, no-frills eats that hit perfectly after a day on the slopes. It’s the kind of place that feels unchanged in the best way, and a must-stop whether you’re grabbing a quick bite or just soaking in the character of the town.

A great establishment and in my opinion it is a must-stop while at Beech Mountain. I relied on Fred’s for their fresh cooked food, snowboarding gear, groceries, and gifts! They also lent me a tool to help me out when I had a lock that broke. Great staff, delicious food with lots of options, and a lot to look at and do! The Philly cheesesteak was amazing and a great price. Always left the store feeling very satisfied and well taken care of.

A must go! The whole family enjoyed finding everything we needed for our trip and ate high quality meals at the Deli - absolutely blown away by how sweet and helpful every single staff member was. Just a true southern gem of a store! We would drive back up just for the buttermilk biscuits and more snow gear

This place is so cool. Definitely have to check it out. They have a little bit of everything from clothes, food, hardware store, type things and below they have a deli, which is amazing! My husband got a biscuit with egg and cheese and he just could not stop raving about it. Said it was the best biscuit he ever had. I had the breakfast burrito and it was also very good.

Super cute and really has groceries and hardware! Tough to find parking and if it’s foggy you better watch out. People don’t always watch out. The employees were nice. Someone in our party bought a long sleeved shirt for $25 which I thought was pricy but hey. They had a large selection of weather gear, nails by the pound, old time Candy, bird seed and houses, bacon and eggs, cheese, produce! What an awesome place. They also had sidewalk salt and shovels. The coolest thing is the pipe out front to Mark the feet of snow each year. That was awesome!

Took the family here for breakfast and really enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is really laid back and the service was great. The Deli is located downstairs. Watch for the sign saying Fred’s Backside Deli. The walkway down is decorated with lots of memorabilia, so take time to look. The front porch on the main level has fresh produce and is one entry into the store. Inside, you can find items such as souvenirs, clothing, camping supplies, general groceries, frozen foods such as pizza, and a large selection of wine and spirits. Check out the train whose track is suspended from the ceiling. It will only run for one minute and only after you push the button to start it. The large red button is located on the side of the counter. Be sure to shop upstairs and you will find a selection of hiking footwear and clothing, Knick knacks, Christmas ornaments, and photographs.

Love this place! It's your old town Mercantile that has awesome home made fudge. The restaurant downstairs has great food and you cant go wrong with the tuna melt.

Amazing is just the start. Great old fashion comfort food. Nothing but stick to your ribs goodness. Get yourself the breakfast club. Bacon, Sausage w/ gravy with Egg and American cheese. Pro-tip: get the bacon well done. Fred's- If it ain't here you don't need it.

This is the second time trying this joint. My wife an I had ice cream that they literally scraped the side to get 1/2 cup and charged $3. It took 30 seconds to realize that they rely on tourists and the fact that you are only there for a finite time. Thus they render shitty service and very poor quality food at a price I am a home owner on Beech. If you can go anywhere else, do so. Stop before you get to the top!!!!!

They got everything you need man. Not much else I can say other than that and that the prices are pretty good.

Awesome outdoor dining area. Breakfast was well portioned. Service well just kinda meh with a grumpy cashier but it was Monday.

Nice General Store with excellent prices on many items. There are many food and drink items as well. Stop in when you're in the area.

Most everyone knows you can get all of what you need, but did you know that also includes notary services? Just before our trip here, our realtor notified us of our home closing date. Being that was July 3, no one would even talk to us to get these documents signed before the holiday. We brought our documents dd with us to NC in hopes we would find some kind, willing, souls to help us close on one house. Over the weekend, I reached out to a few notaries, realtor offices, and even attorneys. That have us a few leads but nothing definite. My dad recommended we try Fred's- "they have and do everything! As parents usually are, he was correct. We dropped in on Sunday and were told to come back Monday during working hours. We arrived mid day Monday and the manager stopped what he was doing to notarize our documents, even asking those managing the front desk to sign as witnesses. We are ever so thankful this is done! To top things off, they even have a UPS drop off location which saved us a trip to Banner Elk. Thank you SO very much for your kindness and expertise! Now we have a great story about how we sold our FL house in Beech Mountain, courtesy of Fred's!

Fabulous place....a real "find".... They have everything you never knew you needed and then some....it's the kind of "old fashioned " feel in today's world..... Could spend hours just browsing.

Fred's is a great atmosphere with everything you need on Beech Mountain. They have Beech Mountain apparel, hardware, groceries and everything you need on mountain at affordable prices. My family has visited Fred's for decades. You can also eat a tasty and affordable breakfast or lunch downstairs at the deli where the food is yummier than other poor options like White Wolf/Holy Smokes where food and service aren't as good. Get your snowboards/ski rentals at Fred's downstairs (where they also have clothing) for affordable/quality equipment. Fred's rentals are better than places like White Wolf where equipment tends to heavily scratched/beat up, and bindings gets stuck constantly throughout day, ruining snowboarding experience. Management at White Wolf was rude, loses receipts and makes threatening calls to customers, falsely calling children thieves. Go to Fred's to get your gear instead. Shop at Fred's General Mercantile for virtually all your needs - souveniers, shirts/apparel, groceries, ski/snowboard rentals, and good breakfast/lunch at the deli downstairs.

Really fun old fashioned general store. Everything from gifts, hardware, groceries, clothes, shoes, and a cafe downstairs. Their motto is: "If we don't have it, you don't need it."!!!

Fav spot for 34 years now !!!! Kids love it ! They have mostly everything you forget to bring when you want on vacation ha ha

They tried to charge double for rental equipment compared to the price listed on website. When I asked they said they changed the price the day before. When getting breakfast the price was posted at $15 but all members of our party were charged $16 with no explanation. Overall every experience felt like a scam and the employees were rude.

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.

The symbol of Beech Mountain! This is a must visit! Their Deli is amazing! They have everything you could need and more!

Just the whole experience of going there. Very quaint. Took me back to my childhood. I love that place.

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!

Such a cute store !! Super quirky !!! Love it !! Well priced and got everything a girl needs

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.

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.

Small aisles, well stocked inventory, higher than usual prices. It was a little dim inside and I have poor vision so I didn't feel comfortable walking around. They do have a nice selection of freezer and refrigerated food, fresh fruits and veggies, tshirts, hoodies, shoes and winter wear. So lots of variety. We picked up a few perishables for our vacation. All employees were wearing masks because pandemic. This place is closest to our vacation and I don't like driving down the mountain every time I want ice cream or need a tomato. Fred's is convenient and the store has what I need.

*Keeping this one short and sweet* The archetypal general store of Beech Mountain where all your needs will be met. Produce, spirits, blankets, houseware, DVD's, etc. You name it, Fred's has it. The first floor houses a satisfying deli, which I highly recommend. Visit the third floor for more exclusive, home-ridden items. Other than that, no qualms here. Fred's is a Beech Mountain must-stop!

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.

I fell in love with this little shop. It has everything and anything. The lady who attended us was extremely sweet and talked to us about where she's from and how she moved the Sugar Mountain because she fell in love with it when she came on vacation. This place is family owned, so it's like a 3-story house but in a store. I absolutely loved the third floor. According to the lady that worked there, the owners used to live on the third floor, so when they moved out they used the third floor to sell clearance items and art work. I loved how the kitchen was still in tact, so they used the shelves to put merchandise and clothes for sale in the bedroom area. Pretty cool place! Definitely check it out. The floor under is a deli and you can rent cheap skis. 4 minutes from Sugar Mountain Resort. Definitely come here! Eat, Shop, and rent Skis.

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

The owners & employees are rude & overpriced... unfortunately it's the nearest market to the ski resort.

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.

I love Fred's. Beech Mountain is a very isolated area, there are not a of options unless you want to make the trek down to the surrounding towns. Fred's has EVERYTHING! They make it so easy for the locals, skiiers/resort goers and those just passing through. Fred's has a full grocery section with fresh produce, an extensive hardware area for anything you could need for a home project, a clothing section for everyone in the family--clothes specific to outdoor activities of course, they also have plenty of gifts and items for the tourists in town. The front exterior of the building is fun, colorful and inviting. You're drawn to the front door! There is even a resident cat to greet you :)

WARNING NO COVID PRECAUTIONS AT THIS STORE. No one was managing the door to control the number of people in the store, and there were two lines from the cashier all the way back to the coolers. Customers were not social distancing. Total lack of management and complete disregard for customer and employee safety. We left without purchasing our items (left them in the aisle) Shame. We used to come here before the pandemic and always enjoyed shopping here.

I rented a snowboard from Fred's . One ride down the slope and a piece of the bindings broke off and couldn't be fixed. Two snowboard instructors tried to help me but found the bindings on the board were broken. I can't believe the negligence of this business, to not only rent faulty equipment, but to refuse to even give us a store credit for their mistake. Don't come to this business unless you want to lose money and get hurt.

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.

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

We're not having much luck near Banner Elk. Arrived 10:37, signs say breakfast until 11! Turned away very rudely from the diner. They will not be getting any business from me in the future. Yikes

We stopped in Fred's on a family mountain trip. It's totally enchanting in the most precious way. It has a fully stocked grocery section, fun gift shop and sweet little ski shop as well. I want to move to Beech Mountain and do all my shopping there. We picked up some candy and I got one of their Fred's General Merchantile long sleeve tshirt which is so super comfy and the prettiest shade of blue, it's a Comfort Colors brand and they have great quality. The lady that was working, I didn't get her name, moved to Beech Mountain from Greensboro, she and her husband who was also there told us how much they love the area. Everyone was so nice. When I move up here Fred's will be my go to.

Cool spot for the essentials and everything else on top of a mountain! Worth swinging by for shoes or beer or fishing lures or a sandwich.

We are in a cabin on the mountain for the month of October. Fred's was our first shopping experience after arriving at the cabin. What a unique, old country store experience! Everything you could need is right at your fingertips! We are half way thru the month now and have returned to Fred's more than once. We appreciate the variety available and the service has been excellent.

Birdhouses. T-shirts. Canned goods. Christmas decorations. Fishing equipment. Stuffed animals. Postcards. Cold drinks. Ski rentals. A deli. Yes, all these things can be found at Fred's! Beech Mountain residents will tell you that this quirky store is a must-see. Check out the staircases, which are decorated with all kinds of posters, crafts and signs that will make you chuckle. Also be sure to visit the holiday room, where snowperson dishware smiles at you even in the summer months. Keep your eyes out for posted notices like "Don't wake the bear, he's grouchy." For an added bonus, there is a lawn and a gazebo next door where local bands will play to large audiences in the summer. The pace of life seems pretty relaxed and you'll see a lot of older couples having a dandy time.

Stayed on Beech Mountain over July 4th week. Had a great visit, and stopped at Fred's for beer - great selection and advice from a Fred's employee- snacks and things. Very friendly staff, cool old building. We didn't eat here or visit their gift shop.

If I could give no Stars, I would. I had planned my sisters bachelorette trip to go skiing at beech mountain. We were looking up ski rentals places and I saw tons of good reviews on Fred's. I had some questions being that a large majority of the bridal party had never been skiing. I spoke with Larry on the phone where he assured me we could come the night before we went skiing to rent and pick our skis up. We asked if that was still applicable because we were doing a half day skiing (11:30am-6:30pm) so I wanted to be sure we could get the skis the night before due to being advised that being fitted for skis could take a while. We also informed Larry that we would be coming with 16 people, so they would know we had a large group coming. He said that was fine and we thought this was going to be a great experience as the reviews had stated. we arrive at 735 the following night to be fitted and rent our ski equipment. Automatically, we were treated with disrespect by the younger lady working the ski rental desk. She informed us that we would have to pay for a full day of skiing, even if we were only using the skis for the half day time. We explained to her the phone call we had with Larry, and she was still treating us very poorly.We asked to speak with Larry, and we were informed that he would not see us or listen to our questions. We payed the full price which is was never about money, it was about honoring what we had been told just 24 hours prior, and at the least being treated decently .The next day (today) we went to return our ski equipment, and still the customer service was lacking. We realized right before we had left the ski resort, one of our snowboards had been stollen and replaced by another snowboard from the same place (Fred's). We explain to them that the snowboard was stolen from us and we didn't realize it until after. The attendants immediately start yelling how you NEVER take someone else's snowboard/ski's. We tried to explain we never intentionally stole anything and just figured if we returned the board the other one would still turn up. $400 dollars later paying for the snowboard that had yet to be returned, we were told that if the snowboard showed up we would be refunded and let know. Hours had gone by and still no word from Fred's. We called and the customer service lady hung up the phone, then proceeded to laugh when we called back. Finally, we were transferred to someone higher up and were informed that snowboards/skis get turned in to many different places and usually turn up by the end of ski season. The disrespect we were treated with and lack of common decency was unfathomable. The experience definitely had a negative impact on our trip, and gave us a terribly negative outlook on the town in general as Fred's was not the only place we had awful experiences with workers.

I ordered Breakfast and Ryan cooked one of the Best I've had. He made it Exactly like I ordered. Been coming here since 1993. Thanks Bill

I will never be returning to this place and I highly suggest people going somewhere else to rent ski gear. Me and a group of my friends went up to Beech Mtn for the weekend and after being advised to not rent our gear directly from Beech Mountain we decided to rent at Freds. I called 2 times Thursday 1/5 with questions about the rental process and pricing. Larry confirmed with me that the price would be $15 for ski rental, $10 extra for a helmet and that he suggests we come pick it up Friday night. Finally I called a 3rd time to let them know that there would be 16 girls coming Friday night at 7:30 pm and the lady I talked to said that was fine and that she would let Larry know. Friday we arrived at 7:35 pm after a long day of traveling just to be greeted by the girl who was working the front desk with the most awful attitude. She informed us that we could not pay the $15 and that we would have to pay the full day price ($24) since we were coming the night before to pick up the rentals, after Larry informed us that we could do this. We requested to speak with him and he refused to speak with us. After paying for the full day rentals we returned back Saturday around 4 pm to return our gear just to hear the same girl (who was working the front desk from the night before) talking about our group. As one of the employees was checking our rentals (to make sure everything was there) we found out that a snowboard had been replaced in our group. Larry and the other employee immediately accused a girl in our group of stealing someone else's board when that was not the case. After being wrongfully accused my friend had to pay $373 to replace the missing board. We were informed that if her board was returned she would receive a refund. Later Saturday 1/7 night we called up to Freds to check if the board had been returned/replaced just to have the employee hang up on us. We proceeded to call back just to overhear the employees laughing at us. Me and my friends have never been treated with such disrespect.

Whenever I'm in town I always stop in. This is a throwback to the stores of our grandparents. the more you look the more unique things you'll find. Huge wine selection as well as some food staples that will save you a trip to town.

Great, genuine people. A perfect little stop for your everyday needs. The employees are so friendly and nice! You can grab anything from coffee to laundry detergent to hiking boots.

For those willing to put up with high prices, small selection and cramped conditions to keep from having to make the trek down the mountain. It was crowded when we tried to go in and my claustrophobia kicked in big-time. There is nothing in there that I need bad enough.

Don't rent equipment from these people, their snowboarding gear is faulty and they won't give you a refund no matter what. Their breakfast is awful and the customer service sucks, surprised they are still in business.

I ordered breakfast from here this morning which was delicious, however a few items were missing from my order. I called to inform the deli that the items were missing and i would be coming back to get them. I was met with a very defensive employee who was not helpful or hospitable at all. Before i could even get out that I would be coming back to pick up the items she accused me of being wrong about the missing items and blamed me for not knowing the condiments were to be picked up myself from the back counter. Although the food was great not sure I'd visit here again. They also didn't have many souvenirs and only carried beech mountain t-shirts. The front desk staff from the store was very pleasant compared to the deli staff.

Fred's is a staple on Beech. I've been coming here my entire life and the folks that work here are like family. Always have anything you need and willing to help with anything. Great place and better people!!! Thanks for everything you have done and will continue to do for the mountain Fred!!

Fred's is great! A gem in the middle of Beech Mountain. Whether you need provisions, hiking shoes, tools, or just a beautiful shop in a beautiful setting, Fred's is it. Don't go expecting a ton of offerings. But, go.

Fred's Is the JAM!!! Cool people that work there. Anything you need from A to Z. Breakfast sandwiches downstairs are really good. If you stay on Beech you will need to go by Fred's every day!