FRANK LEWIS PDT Staff Writer

The New Tractor Supply Company store in the former Walmart location off of Rhodes Avenue in New Boston is officially open after celebrating their grand opening Saturday.

“We’re truly very excited to bring Tractor Supply into the Portsmouth area, specifically New Boston,” Store Manager Chris Crawford said. “There’s certainly a need for a store like Tractor Supply. Lots of customers were already driving an hour one way to get to a store in Ashland (Ky.), Chillicothe, Gallipolis, and now we’ve given them a hometown location to meet their lifestyle needs.”

Tractor Supply District Manager Mike Knoplesch said the company had been looking at the area for a while.

“There has been a gap in the area for the market that we serve,” Knoplesch said. “It seemed like a natural fit and everyone in town has been very welcoming, so it’s pretty exciting for us.”

With a name like Tractor Supply, Knoplesch said it is easy to misjudge their variety of merchandise.

“We sell clothing and pet food and livestock supplies and lawn and garden supplies, even outdoor things for your lawn and patio,” Knoplesch said. “We have a tractor show out front. We have animals, a bake sale going on.”

New Boston Mayor Jim Warren said the opening of the store follows a lot of hard work to make it happen.

“This store is really a plus for the area. I worked with them hard in order to get it here, and I think it’s something that has really added to this mall,” Warren said. “It’s going to bring it back to life, and with our (Village) Council and everybody working with them, it’s going to be a success. So the area has the opportunity to grow again. Tractor Supply is going to be one of those leaders in our area. I’m proud of it, and it has been a lot of hard work. We did a lot of negotiating with Tractor Supply to get them here, and it all paid off.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony with company and village officials drew an applause from employees and customers alike. Shoppers walked through the store taking advantage of grand opening specials, and just checking out the merchandise in general.

“It certainly is a unique store. We cater to that out-here lifestyle – everybody from the person who just puts a few garden plants out in the back yard – to the one who’s got the full 40 acres and a mule,” Crawford said.

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.