Harbor Freight Tools, America’s leading retailer of quality tools at the lowest prices, will celebrate the grand opening of its new store in Louisville, which is also its 1,000th store in the United States, on Aug. 14.
The Louisville store, 12060 Standiford Plaza Dr., is the 17th Harbor Freight Tools store in Kentucky. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Harbor Freight Tools executives at 8:45 a.m., and the store will open at 9 a.m.
The first 100 customers will receive a free hat, and the first 1,000 customers will receive a free six-piece screwdriver set. The 1,000th customer will win a $100 gift card.
“We’re excited to serve customers in the great city of Louisville,” said Mallory Wright, store manager. “At Harbor Freight, we’re passionate about providing our customers with the tools they need to get the job done, and always at an affordable price. We look forward to welcoming auto technicians, contractors, woodworkers, homeowners, hobbyists—anyone who needs affordable tools.”
The 15,000-square-foot store will stock a full selection of tools and accessories in categories including automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools and more. Harbor Freight’s hand tools come with a lifetime warranty.
The new Harbor Freight Tools store in Louisville will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Store photos and logo available upon request.
For over 40 years, Harbor Freight Tools has been America’s go-to source for affordable tools. The family-owned company started in Southern California in 1977, when 17-year-old Eric Smidt began transforming his father’s small phone sales business into a successful mail order company. That first year, Eric bypassed the middlemen and worked directly with factories, realizing that if he could avoid paying a markup and buy tools for less, he could pass the savings on to the customer.
That focus on saving money led to the company’s transition from a mail order cataloger to a brick-and-mortar retailer in 1980. The least expensive way for mail order customers on the East Coast to return a purchase was to use a transportation practice known as “zone skipping,” where packages were consolidated in Lexington, Ky., before being sent on to California. Smidt figured the company could save the shipping costs back to California if they sold the returned merchandise in a store in Lexington.
“Frugality has always been one of our core values, and we’ve always wanted to save money because it means we can offer lower prices to our customers,” said Smidt. “That first store showed us that customers wanted to see and feel the tools that they bought, and we realized that if we opened more stores, we could serve more customers.”
Today, Harbor Freight Tools is one of the fastest-growing retailers in the nation, opening two new stores every week at a time when many retailers are closing stores. The new Louisville store is only 75 miles away from the company’s first store in Lexington.
Still privately owned by Smidt and based in Calabasas, Calif., Harbor Freight Tools has remained true to its humble beginnings. Unlike the enormous home centers, Harbor Freight’s no-frills stores are manageable and easy to shop. Every day, the retailer introduces new tools that can’t be found under one roof anywhere else, so every visit is an opportunity to discover something new—always at an unbeatable price.
Harbor Freight Tools offers customers even deeper discounts with special coupon pricing. Customers can sign up to receive a monthly coupon book by mail with dozens of product coupons and additional discounts. Customers can also receive additional discounts by email. To sign up, visitHarborFreightSignUp.com.
Another of the company’s core values is giving back to the communities it serves. Harbor Freight Tools supports non-profit organizations that serve K-12 public education, first responders and veterans. For more information on the gift card donations program, visitharborfreightgivingback.com.
In addition, Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, an initiative of The Smidt Foundation, established by company founder Eric Smidt, to support the advancement of skilled trades education in America. Its flagship initiative is the annual Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, which honors 18 public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs with $1 million in cash awards. For more information, visitharborfreighttoolsforschools.org.