Barrels of candy. They sit inside our MoonPie General Store in a shop we call Yummy Bear. And every single day while at work, I walk past those barrels again and again and again. Sometimes I stop and pick up a single piece to enjoy. On some days, I might stop a couple of times for a single piece of candy. Lately it has been the Peppermint Patties. They are a newer barrel candy item for us, and they are delicious! But in the past three months, I have been working at losing some weight. So I say to myself, “Make wise choices.” And I walk by those barrels without stopping. To be honest, I did stop at those barrels twice today, before telling myself, “You don’t need that. Make wise choices.”
We are faced daily with making decisions. Where shall we spend our money…where shall we spend our time…how do we pick our friends…what will we eat…will we exercise…how will we relax…how much sleep…what has to be done and what are my priorities…and on and on. Some decisions we make without a thought because we have developed certain habits or routines. Because we are booksellers, we think choosing books and reading are wise choices! They certainly can enrich our lives in a number of ways, and they contain no calories or unhealthy ingredients! If only we craved books, the way we crave sweets! Maybe we can train ourselves to be hungry for books. I think we can. Today I said “no” to Peppermint Patties. Now then, let me find my next good book!
Michael Beagan
In 2012 we changed our store name to MoonPie General Store and the Original Book Warehouse. Since 1987, we had been selling books and some gifts as Book Warehouse. Of course with the new name, came changes to the store layout and the product, and we now proudly offer our customers moonpies and moonpie merchandise! There are normally five flavors of moonpies…chocolate, vanilla, banana, strawberry, and salted caramel. But once a year the Chattanooga Bakery does a batch of coconut minis for Mardi Gras, and lets the MoonPie General Stores order some for their customers. The coconut mini is delicious, and some of our staff will tell you it is their favorite flavor! It has the flavor, but without the grit or chewy texture of coconut! It does not come in a single or double, and it is for a limited time only. We just got our last shipment of 60 cases of coconut minis delivered on Friday, April 6th. Enough to probably last us through April, we hope, and possibly into early May. Come by for a visit and ask us if you may have a free sample…we’ll probably say “yes.” We’ll also say “thank you” for visiting our store! (P.S. We also have orange minis for a limited time!)
Michael Beagan
I am making myself laugh even as I start to write this. I was going to say “I picked up a book the other day.” Funny! If you work at a bookstore, you’re constantly picking up books. Sometimes you’re putting out books for your customers to shop. Sometimes you’re straightening, and returning stray books to the shelves. And sometimes you touch a book and because you’re a bookseller and a book lover, you want that book for yourself or a friend. So I did pick up a book the other day. “The Road Home.” A children’s book. I thought it was sweet, and I had someone in mind to buy it for and send to them. I like the repeating theme, “This road is hard, this road is long, this road that leads us home.” I especially like the page near the end that reads, “This road is hard, this road is long, but we are not alone. For you are here, and I’m with you…”
Seems like we’re all traveling through this journey of life with one destination or the other in mind. It’s good to know where you’re going. It’s good to get to your destination. And surely it is good to enjoy the journey, and to find strength and rest and friends and help, when the road is hard and long. We need that. To not be alone. To have others walk alongside us, and re-affirm we’re going the right way and the destination is worth it.
If your road is hard and long, and you need a place to stop and rest…. A place to be reminded of your value and your purpose… Well, that seems a lot to ask of a MoonPie store that also sells books and gifts. But we are stretching…trying to be a little bit more than that. And sometimes we might have the right word or the right book, to help you with the next little bit of of your journey. So we invite you to come in for a bit, and visit and shop, sit and play checkers, work a puzzle, have a moonpie and an RC, wander the book aisles, find a good book, and possibly discover that we care about you and are glad that you gave us a few minutes of your time as you paused from that long, hard road.
Michael Beagan
The Great Smoky Mountains. We love these mountains, where the past and present share the same space, and old stories echo through the trees if you pause to look and listen. Many stories and sights too wonderful to be contained in the mountains have spilled out of the hearts of folks in written word and pictures so they can be shared with everyone.
Books. They take you almost anywhere. Marvelous hiking trails for the mind! And we’d like to help you go anywhere you choose. Learning and adventures await you in our large selection of local interest books. Look back through time in our history section. Let your imagination make a delicious meal as you browse cookbooks. Open a children’s book and let yourself be silly as you love the little ones in your life. Allow time to browse our nostalgic gifts, and sit and work a puzzle or play checkers.
Remember going with dad or grandpa to the old country store to get a moonpie and a RC cola? Sitting on the porch, talking and laughing at the end of the day. We have your RC, all five flavors of moonpies, and old time candy. And now that you’ve picked out a couple books to read, it’s time to enjoy whatever marvelous hiking trails you want!
We’re MoonPie General Store and the Original Book Warehouse in Pigeon Forge. Your hometown bookstore in the Great Smoky Mountains since 1987. (Photo credit to Dr. Larry Love, Sevierville, TN)
Michael Beagan
If you visit The Great Smoky Mountains you might be lucky enough…and surprised…to see a bear! They are just one of the many beautiful things to take notice of if you can make time for a hike. A couple weeks ago I went on a hike using the Little River Trail that starts in Elkmont. This trail follows alongside a river, and I took many beautiful pictures. And I said to myself “This is a thinking man’s trail” because it was mostly flat and easy, and I didn’t have to give all my attention to where I was stepping. After about 2.5 miles, I started my return to Elkmont using the Cucumber Gap Trail. Recent rains has raised the height of a little stream I had to cross, but I removed my shoes and socks and found a stick to help me make my way across. I was hiking alone, and at times on the Cucumber Gap Trail I thought I might be lost (I wasn’t) and also thought for a couple brief moments what if a bear confronts me (didn’t happen). I was watching for bear droppings on the trail and didn’t see any, so I wasn’t too worried. I also wondered as it got later in the day, “I wonder when my wife would send the park rangers to look for me” if I do get lost. Truth is, I was always on the main trail and it just took longer to hike back to Elkmont. The whole hike was wonderful. It is amazing what time in the mountains will do. It is truly good for a man’s soul…a woman’s soul, too!
If you don’t get to spend time on a trail, perhaps you’ll spend time visiting our store. If you do, you’ll find moonpies and moonpie merchandise, old time candies and sodas, plenty of books…and oh, yes, gifts of all sorts including tin signs, quilt kits and quilts, kids’ toys, some collectibles, Christian gifts…and yes, bears! We have a wonderful shop just inside the one entrance that features books about The Great Smoky Mountains (hiking and history), books by local authors, fictional stories about these mountains-Appalachia-the South, as well as Smoky Mountain gift items such as bears and mugs, magnets and pictures, and more!
Give us a phone call to ask questions or visit our website to learn more about us! And consider following us on facebook at www.facebook/.com/MoonPieGeneralStoreTN to keep updated about our store, our product, things happening in our area, and the many good customers who have come by and shared their stories with us.
Michael Beagan
MoonPies, MoonPies, MoonPies. If you’re from the South, you probably grew up with them. We hear stories all the time from people who remember special times growing up, eating moonpies and drinking RC cola. Some recall trips to the general store as a child where a tasty moonpie awaited them. Some tell of sitting on the front porch at the end of a long day, maybe with their dad or grandpa, eating their moonpie.The moonpie memory reminds many people of times from the past, when you worked hard and then took a few minutes to rest a bit, talk with family or friends, and enjoy a moonpie and a RC.
If you aren’t familiar with moonpies, then a wonderful treat awaits you. They are made in the Chattanooga Bakery, just a little bit down the road from our store, so the moonpies we offer are bakery fresh. They come in seven delicious flavors…chocolate, vanilla, banana, strawberry, lemon, orange, and caramel. Buy them individually or in boxes of twelve, and you can make your own variety box if you like. You’ll need your own moonpies, plus another box to take back home with you to share.
And our moonpie fans will find moonpie merchandise includes t-shirts, mugs, tin signs, cookie jars, cast iron skillets, stuffed animals, magnets, shot glasses and more! This shop also includes fun and interesting nostalgic items such the Beatles, John Wayne, Dr. Who, Star Wars, I Love Lucy, The Wizard of Oz, and a variety of Super Heroes. And you’ll find silly items like Bacon body wash, Cupcake Band-Aids, stick-on beards or historical finger puppets. Come see us at the MoonPie General Store.
