Penny Candy at Mast General Store

It's not Black Friday, Cyber-Monday, or even Cyber-Monday's yet unofficially-named Retail Extravaganza Tuesday. It is Thursday morning in Greenville. Main Street is relatively quiet, the office denizens are tucked up in their cubicles during these pre-lunch hours, and only a few hardy shoppers are out braving the unseasonable December chill.

But the wooden double doors of Mast General Store are inviting, and a peek inside reveals plenty of browsers and buyers have had the same idea: the old-timey shop filled with everything from soup to nuts has plenty in the way of old-timey bargains, as well as that treat-of-all treats, penny candy.

The Greenville outpost of this century-old mercantile (once the Meyers Arnold department store), is roughly L-shaped. At the front of the store are disarming displays of jewelry, books of local interest, and a variety of comfortable clothing for outdoor enthusiasts. If you can make it through to the back of the store, without too much distraction (fondle a fleecy Sherpa here, sniff a bottle of vetiver cologne there) you'll be rewarded with the sight of barrel after barrel stuffed with candy of all kinds.

The air is practically scented with sugar and the sight is enough to induce a rush, even if you have long since passed the age where you could whistle through the gap in your gums caused by missing incisors. You are encouraged to use both hands and dig deep to fill their handy carry baskets to the brim with sweets. The best part of this section is how brilliantly Mast merchandises their purveyance. Old and new co-mingle with Nerds and Laffy Taffy sitting a step away from swizzle sticks flavored with clove and suckers infused with huckleberry and horehound. The rare and unusual scented Violet Gum holds a place on the wall display along with Clark's Teaberry and Black Jack. Squirrel Nut Zippers and Charleston Chews, wonderful pillowy honeycomb peanuts (which are neither made with honey nor peanuts, go figure). Oh, and for purists: those miniature Hershey's assorted chocolates (Krackle! Special Dark!), Bazooka (to save paper the comic is printed on the wrapper now), and licorice whips are standard fare here too.

The price is more than reasonable at just $2.75 per half pound.  You are free to purchase one piece, or one hundred. Regardless of what or how much you choose, when you queue up to pay, the cheerful staff dish up your stash onto a scale, then snap open a white paper bag and scoop your selections directly in for taking home.

That is, if you can make it before you devour every last little tasty bit.