Job fair highlights economic recovery efforts

Friday marks the start of this year's Virginia sales tax holiday, but some businesses were not yet prepared after the date change.

For every pound of bulk candy purchased, the store will donate $1 to Feeding Southwest Virginia.

Dickens of a Christmas Friday events brought in lots of business

ROANOKE, Va. – Downtown Roanoke businesses are not just helping you complete your Christmas shopping. They are also providing the community with some traditional sights of the holiday season as several stores around Market Square have decorated their window fronts. The idea behind some of the extravagant displays is to encourage people to shop local this holiday season. “It’s been wonderful even when we were decorating the windows and just putting them up, the people stopping on the street just to say how excited they were to see some beautiful Christmas windows downtown again and to see them in the Heironimus building again,” said Olivia King, a manager at Mast General Store. This is the first Christmas Mast General Store has been open in Roanoke.

ROANOKE, Va Locally-owned stores said they have seen an increase in business as Virginias tax-free weekend continues. Mast General Store in downtown Roanoke said its all stocked up with clothing, shoes and supplies to prepare for the weekend. Through Sunday at midnight, you can get qualifying school supplies and clothing tax free. The store is also having other additional sales in hopes of bringing in more shoppers to help the local economy. I think for every dollar that goes into a local business it really just expands and spreads to all the businesses around it as well, Mast General Store General Manager Olivia King said.

ROANOKE, Va. – Mast General Store is officially open in Roanoke. Getting the store open in the historic former Heironimous Building took about two years. Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea said this is very timely for the city. “Roanoke continues to be more vibrant with each new investment by our businesses,” said Lea. “This premiere Jefferson Street location (Mast General Store) will benefit from continued increase in downtown residential living.”The store created nine full-time jobs and 14 part-time jobs.

ROANOKE, Va. – Dollywood and Splash Country reopen today. There’s a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning for the new Mast General Store in downtown Roanoke. Traffic on Greenview Drive in Lynchburg will be reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays, starting today. Starting today, the dining room is open, so you can sit down and order an R’ Burger and World’s Greatest Fries. The dining areas are open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

ROANOKE, Va. – Inside Mast General Store, you will find the modern-day version of an old general store. Company officials were smiling nonstop Tuesday as they talked about how excited they are to finally open their Roanoke store. “We have waited a long time for this moment," Mast General Store President Lisa Cooper said. Mast General Store has been working for about two years to breathe new life into the historic former Heironimous Building. “What we try to do is unwrap a gift and this is the gift to Roanoke," said Mast General Store Branding and Development Vice President Jeff Meadows.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s new Mast General Store has a new grand opening date. At one point, the store was going to open on April 8; however, the coronavirus pandemic changed that plan. Now, the store will open on June 17 at the old Heironimus Building along South Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke. “We are very excited to share the store with our guests, who have been so patient as our opening was delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Lisa Cooper, president of the Mast General Store. Three employees transferred from other locations to be a part of the management team in Roanoke.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s new Mast General Store will not be opening as soon as expected. The store was going to open with a quiet ribbon cutting on April 8 at the old Heironimus Building along South Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke. It allows for 16,000 square feet of retail space and close to 40 employees; however, everything changed due to this pandemic. “It is turn-key ready to go,” said Lisa Cooper, president of mast General Store, “We had a full team employed and were in the middle of setting up when we had to shut things down a little bit and step back and re-evaluate the process of opening up the doors. We will open and we just need to figure out when that’s going to be.”They plan to open at some point after June 10 or when it is safe to do so.

ROANOKE, Va. – Mast General Store is inching closer to opening its new Roanoke location, but if you wanted to work there, you’re too late. Mast General Store listed 25 open positions last month, and quickly received more than a hundred applications. Moretz said Mast General Store will honor the old Heironimus store by plastering the new store’s walls with stories of what it once was. Mast General Store is looking for people to share their memories by e-mailing them at info@mastgeneralstore.com. “It’s all about revitalizing the heart of the city and inviting people to come back downtown,” Moretz said.

ROANOKE, Va. - Mast General Store has opened applications for its future location in Roanoke's historic Heironimus building. The North Carolina-based retailer plans to call the Star City home in 2020. The company says more job postings will be available in the coming months, but for now, it is hiring a management team, visual merchandiser, store trainer and sales support. To apply, click here. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.