The Magnolia Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed Tractor Supply Co. as its newest member with a ribbon cutting Oct. 4.

The store opened Oct. 5 and is located at 18567 Buddy Riley Blvd., Magnolia.

Having a major retailer in town should benefit the residents of Magnolia who often travel to Tomball for their shopping needs, manager James Gero said.

"This is very convenient for the people in Magnolia who I know often save up their trips to Tomball to go to all the big stores such as Lowe's," Gero said. "They now can shop right here in town."

Gero worked for more than four years as an assistant store manager for the Tractor Supply in Tomball and is now the store manager for the Magnolia location. He is excited to see continued growth in Magnolia and hopes his store will help continue to facilitate that growth.

"It's really neat to see where Magnolia is now as opposed to eight years ago," he said. "The growth here is phenomenal. Magnolia is the new Tomball."

The store will celebrate its grand opening the weekend of Oct. 18, with the main events taking place on Saturday, Oct. 19. The store will have drawings to give away a log splitter and gift cards. The Magnolia FFA will be serving up hot dogs and hamburgers for donations, and the Magnolia 4-H will have a bake sale at the event.