Tucked away on a corner of North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville, the Mountain Home Collection is a diamond in the rough for local arts and crafters.

Since Mary Edwards opened 23 years ago, the store has tripled in size, and continues to offer an extensive line of art supplies, home decor and a variety of art classes.

In comparison to big box stores moving in as competition, Edwards has remained competitive with her prices. Many of her art products are often 25 to 50 cents cheaper than retail stores, she said.

And she has plenty of products to choose from. Scrapbooking stickers and accessories line an entire back wall and another is covered in designer scrapbook paper. She also carries art products from paints to canvas to colored pencils and paintbrushes — almost anything an artist ...