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West Babylon dads have another reason to celebrate this Father’s Day weekend.
The long-awaited Tractor Supply Co. at 64 Route 109 held a soft opening Saturday, June 13, and will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, June 20.
“We’ll have lots of great deals going on,” store manager James Alwaise said, though he could not reveal the specific promotions.
“You’ll have to stop by and find out,” he said.
The store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Tractor Supply expands west on Long Island
The West Babylon store is Tractor Supply’s fourth Long Island location and its farthest west. The company also operates stores in Islandia, Medford and Calverton.
The new store fills a 15,500-square-foot space formerly occupied by ShopRite, which closed in October 2021.
“The community asked us to be here,” Alwaise said. “When our clients — our neighbors — want us to be here, we’re going to be here for them to be the number one pet destination.”
Best known as a feed and farm store — or a “rural lifestyle retailer,” according to the company’s website — Tractor Supply is also a haven for do-it-yourselfers looking to complete home and yard projects.
The sprawling West Babylon store carries everything from propane torches and live baby chicks and ducks to dog and cat supplies, outdoor furniture and décor, tools, trailers and lawn mower parts and equipment.
The store also features a self-service pet-wash station and welcomes companion animals as long as they are leashed or secured in a carrier.
A long-awaited opening
The West Babylon location had been in the works for more than a year. Its opening was initially projected for spring 2025 before being pushed back to fall 2025.
Although the opening took longer than expected, it arrived just in time for Long Islanders tackling summer outdoor projects.
“The customer feedback and community feedback has been tremendous,” Alwaise said. “Even before we opened the doors, we’d been getting phone calls. The relationships have been built from a long time ago. Everyone was begging us to be here; we were begging to be here. It’s a match made in heaven.”
The store is expected to bring 15 jobs to the area and is continuing to hire.
All employees at the West Babylon location, aside from Alwaise, are new to the company. Alwaise previously served as assistant manager of the Medford store.
“My main criteria is people who want to build relationships with the community,” Alwaise said, noting that employees handle a variety of responsibilities, from stocking inventory to providing customer service.
“I want people who want to talk to people,” he said.
Interested applicants can apply through Tractor Supply’s careers website.
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