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Tractor Supply Store Opens in North Adams

The new Tractor Supply Co. store opens Saturday morning in the former Walmart.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The new Tractor Supply opens for business on Saturday morning — but customers have coming around for the last week and a half.

"It was like working in a fishbowl," laughed Store Manager Bonnie Stapleberg in between welcoming invited customers on Friday night with Regional Director Peter Menzynski.

The business community and local officials got a sneak peek at the 27,000 square feet store when it opened at 5 p.m., along with gifts and a chance for $100 gift card.

Stapleberg said Mayor Richard Alcombright had stopped by earlier to welcome them early on. By about 6:30, people were still coming in ones and twos and going out with bags and shopping carts.

"We are excited to see this store," Fire Director Stephen Meranti responded to a question. "We have been waiting for this store to open."

The new Tractor Supply employs 14 full and part-time employees.

Project DMB Construction of Winchester began work on Aug. 5 to transform what had been the garden center and the eastern end of the former Walmart. The fenced area on the side of the building is being retained for storage and product display. The larger Ocean State Job Lot, which owns the building, opened in August. A third tenant has not yet been announced.

The company operates more than 1,223 stores in 46 states, according to a press release, that are focused on supplying the "lifestyle needs of recreational farmers and ranchers" for the rural lifestyle.

Williams Grads Reminded of Community that Got Them to Graduation

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14PM / Sunday, June 02, 2024

The graduates heard from two speakers — Phi Betta Kappa speaker Milo Chang and class speaker Jahnavi Nayar Kirtane. The keynote speaker, Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was unable to attend and recorded his speech for playback. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College said goodbye Sunday to its graduating seniors.

 

And a representative of the class of 2024 took the time to say goodbye to everyone in the community who made students' journey possible.

 

Milo Chang, the Phi Beta Kappa speaker for the class and one of two students to speak at Sunday's 235th commencement exercises, explained that the term "Williams community" applies to more than those who get to list the school on their resumes.

 

"It includes everyone who has shaped our experiences here, from loved ones back home to the dedicated staff members who make campus their second home," Chang told his classmates. "During our time at Williams, we've seen this community step up in remarkable ways to support us."

 

Chang talked about the faculty and staff who gave their time to operate the COVID-19 testing centers and who greeted students before they could take their first classroom tests in the fall of 2020, and the dining services personnel who kept the students fed and somehow understood their orders through the masks everyone was wearing when this class arrived on campus.

 

And he shared a personal story that brought the message home.

 

"We often underestimate the power of community until we experience a taste of its absence," Chang said. "I remember staying on campus after our first Thanksgiving at Williams, after most students went home to finish the semester remotely. I remember the long hours sitting in empty common rooms. I remember the days you could walk through campus without seeing another student.