Illinois’ 47th Harbor Freight Tools store opens in Vernon Hills
Illinois’ newest Harbor Freight Tools officially will open Saturday, Aug. 3, in Vernon Hills.
The store is located at 555 Townline Road (Route 60) in the Townline Commons shopping center, the space previously occupied by Kids R Us and then Petco. It’s adjacent to the former Toys R Us on the western end of the center.
Stores in the national chain average about 15,000 square feet and include a full selection of tools and accessories in automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools and more.
Affordability and smaller stores that are easier to shop than home improvement centers are among the California-based company’s selling points to customers. Harbor Freight opens two to three locations every week and is self-described as one of the nation's fastest growing retailers.
The Vernon Hills location already opened for business and employs 25 to 30 workers hired locally, according to the company.
It’s the 47th Harbor Freight Tools store in Illinois and 13th in the Chicago area, including stores in Gurnee and Round Lake in Lake County. Stores opened in January in Elgin and in March in Batavia.
Harbor Freight started as a family-owned business in southern California in 1977 when Eric Smidt began working directly with factories, bypassing middlemen and passing savings to customers, according to the company.
The first store opened in 1980 and has grown to more than 1,500 stores and 28,000 employees.
Hand tools come with a lifetime warranty and the company says its team of engineers and experts in all tool categories ensure products meet or exceed industry standards.
Harbor Freight stores are 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.
The Vernon Hills space had been repainted several times since 2002, according to the village. Neutral exterior paint schemes comparable to the original don’t require a formal village review.
However, in this case, village board approval of what is considered a minor modification was needed because the Harbor Freight Tools branding includes a new canopy with a facade painted red and blue.