Tractor Supply chain with focus on pet care, farm products opens new store in West Babylon
Tractor Supply recently opened a new store on Route 109 in West Babylon. Credit: Rick Kopstein
National retailer Tractor Supply is expanding its footprint on Long Island with the opening of a new store in West Babylon.
The store at 64 Rte.109 occupies 15,500-square-feet in the space vacated by ShopRite, which closed in October 2021, Newsday previously reported. Tractor Supply sells products ranging from farming equipment to pet supplies.
The chain was set to open the West Babylon store in 2025, but construction-related delays pushed its official opening to Saturday, store manager James Alwaise said Wednesday.
The Tennessee-based agriculture and home improvement retailer is expanding on Long Island amid a growing interest for gardening, pets, backyard poultry and equine activities, Alwaise said.
The retailer has three stores on Long Island — in Islandia, Medford and Calverton. The chain serves a variety of customers, from experienced farmers and ranchers to people who garden at home, Alwaise said.
"Long Island continues to be an important market for Tractor Supply," Alwaise said. He said he has noticed a strong response from customers in the area who reflect a commitment to pet care, gardening and an outdoor lifestyle.
The national retailer operates more than 2,400 stores across 49 states, according to its website. As part of the chain's nationwide growth strategy, the retailer opened 40 stores in the first quarter of 2026, Tractor Supply reported in its April earnings call. It reported $3.59 billion in net sales, a 3% increase from 2025, attributing it to new store openings and comparable store sales.
Suffolk County has the largest retail footprint on the island, according to data from commercial real estate firm NAI Long Island.
"Across Long Island, landlords and municipalities are increasingly focused on adaptive reuse and finding creative ways to reposition large-format retail boxes," said James Pacifico, NAI's director of retail development.
It's encouraging to see "a long-vacant former supermarket space returned to productive use," he added.
The West Babylon store is a good location for Teddy Bolkas, who shops often at Tractor Supply stores.
Bolkas, who owns Thera Farms, gets watering troughs, T-posts, fencing wire and tractor parts for his Brentwood farm.
Restocking just became a lot easier for his farm, he said, which primarily produces berries and vegetables.
He used to order supplies from other locations for pickup, sometimes waiting days for it to be ready, but now he can go down the block.
"It's a lot easier for me," Bolkas said.
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