We just wanted to remind you to consider our MoonPie General Store when it comes to gift giving. Many of us spend considerable time searching for just the right gift. When we give the right gift, it seems as if we have given a tiny piece of our heart to the person we care about. Over the next 60 days we will celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and various school and college graduations.
In my humble opinion, if anyone deserves to be celebrated and receive a gift of love, it is our mothers! They brought us into this world, and most moms poured themselves into their children for years…loving us fiercely. And those with adult children still love and give to them in ways seen and unseen. A single day, Mother’s Day this May 13th, is really inadequate to show our appreciation for moms. But it certainly is a good reminder to pause and show our love and gratitude for the work of their hands and hearts over many years.
We really have an interesting and unique gift assortment in our store, and we think you might just find something that says exactly what you feel in your heart and want to express to mom, dad, the graduate, or that person having a birthday. Sometimes a gift is needed for a special occasion, or for a loss, or for a sad and difficult time. And so it is our privilege to assist you with choosing the right gift if you desire our help. We’re MoonPie General Store and the Original Book Warehouse. And it is always our privilege to hear your stories, and sometimes be a small part of them.
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
Today we celebrate “friends.” How good it is to have people in your life you consider friends. If you are fortunate, you have a few people in your life that you could trust with anything. Who invest in your life with the kindness of their words and actions. Someone you could borrow money from because they would give you the shirt off their back. Someone who would sit with you during a hospital stay, or bring a meal to your home during a pregnancy or broken leg. Someone who will listen well if you take a problem to them, and then offer you advice, support, and encouragement as needed. Someone who makes time for you in their busy life…sometimes with just a moments notice. Someone whose smile, hug, nod of their head or squeeze of your hand can speak a thousand words of affirmation about what you share. Someone who can sit quietly with you, laugh at the same jokes, or go on an adventure with you.
We sometimes call our customers “friends” on facebook. We don’t mean to be careless with the word. Truth is, we do care about our customers, and serving you is more than business. It’s personal. Now we can’t do a lot of the things that traditional friends do, and most of you we will only see for minutes at a time here and there. But the best part of our day is when you have time to share your story, both the joys and the heartaches. Sometimes we just listen. Sometimes we might help you find a book or gift that is an encouragement to you or someone you are shopping for, give you directions to a good eating place, or say a prayer over you if you need one.
The mug in this picture just came into our store, and prompted these words today. The backside you can’t see adds the words…”and the joy you have brought to my life!” We hope you all are blessed with deep and lasting friendships, and that as often as you like, you find that we can be your friend in our own very small way.
Michael Beagan
So I was thinking about puzzles, and the word “puzzled.” Puzzled means to be confused by something we don’t understand. And a puzzle is a game or toy designed to test our skill at finding order or organization or making sense of something that seems confusing. We sell a lot of jigsaw puzzles here at the MoonPie General Store…we think our selection and prices are quite good. Some folks seem to buy quite a few through the winter months, wanting something to do indoors when outdoor activity is more restricted. No doubt putting together a puzzle occupies time, keeps the mind sharp, gives a sense of accomplishment, and is fun to work on. Some folks find it relaxing…maybe even a way to relieve stress. All those puzzle pieces, looking similar to one another, waiting to be assembled to create a picture. All you need is a little time and a space on a flat surface…and you’re ready to go! And in our store we usually have two puzzle tables for people to sit at if they are waiting for others in their group to finish shopping. Some folks come in and head straight to the puzzle table! Not interested in puzzles? We invite you to browse our shelves for a few good books to take home with you. Perhaps you prefer to be puzzled by a good mystery or novel. Browse our history section for a look back at how the past has impacted the present. Find a book about our Great Smoky Mountains and the surrounding area. Take home a cookbook to help you put a new delicious meal on your table. Read a biography and be inspired by their remarkable and unusual story. Or buy a journal and begin writing your own remarkable story! And look over our nostalgic gifts that include wood and tin signs, quilt kits, Smoky mountain bears and mugs, Christian gifts, and much more including many MoonPie gift items.
Whether you come to shop, or come to sit…we are glad to have you in our store. We’re not puzzled or confused at all about why we’re here…we’re here for you! Come see us, and we say “thank you!”
Mike Beagan
