There was a time not too long ago that having a Walmart come to your community was a reason to wring hands and shout in despair and talk of Armageddon if you were a business owner.

Now, we look at Walmart coming as a blessing. After all, they're going to be able to hire 250 people - as many as a small industry.

Our new Walmart opens on March 14; we predict that there will be thousands of people applying for those jobs when hiring starts Wednesday.

The new Walmart will open at the intersection of Salem and Brown Bridge Road in the county.

The addition of the new store will surely boost the sales of the other nearby strip malls, which includes a Publix, and may even cause the creation of new retail development. And may accomplish something that hasn't happened since that area rapidly developed a few years ago: our citizens living in that area will spend their tax dollars locally, and not in Rockdale or DeKalb counties.

That is the real blessing of having a Walmart come to you community.