Harbor Freight Tools to Open First Centre County Store on Tuesday

Harbor Freight Tools will open its first State College area store on Tuesday morning at 313 Benner Pike.

The national discount tool and equipment retailer will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

The new store, Harbor Freight’s 45th in Pennsylvania, is located in the 23,200-square foot former Bed Bath & Beyond at the Benner Pike Shops.

Bed Bath & Beyond closed its Benner Pike store at the end of 2020 after 15 years in business.

“We look for a location that has high visibility, easy access and ample parking for our customers,” Crag Hoffman, Harbor Freight’s director of corporate communications, said in February. “In addition, we look for the right amount of space.”

Harbor Freight limits the footprint of its locations, Hoffman said, to make the size of the store manageable for customers, whether they are browsing or are tradespeople needing to quickly pick up something on the way to a job site.

The store is expected to employ about 30 people.

“We also look for communities that have a terrific pool of applicants for the jobs we’re bringing and we certainly feel that State College offers that,” Hoffman said.

Prior to the new store’s opening, Harbor Freight’s closest locations were in Lewistown and Mill Hall