Presque Isle’s new Harbor Freight Tools store opened Tuesday, bringing some new life to the Aroostook Centre Mall and new competition for other area home improvement retailers.
In space formerly occupied by Sears, Harbor Freight Tools opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning and was bustling by noontime,
Harbor Freight Tools, a California-based discount equipment and tool retail chain, operates some 750 stores nationwide, including in Auburn, Bangor and South Portland.
Aroostook Centre Mall manager Patti Crooks spent several years working to recruit a retailer to fill empty space left by the exit of multiple big-box stores in recent years.
Harbor Freight Tool stores carry more than 7,000 kinds of tools, equipment, hardware and accessories. Customers on Tuesday were perusing everything from pressure washers to portable garages to solar panel kits.
On its website, the privately-held company says that it maintains low prices by buying direct from manufacturers rather than branded products.
Managed by Joshua Addington, the former manager of the Presque Isle Lowe’s, Harbor Freight is expected to employ between 30 and 40 part-time workers and three-to-four full time workers, according to Crooks.
