Harbor Freight Tools plans to open a store in a portion of the old Kmart store at 155 Twin City Mall in Crystal City, company spokeswoman Lisa Hartley said today (Aug. 22).
She said the store is expected to open this fall.
“The (Twin City Mall) store is the 26th Harbor Freights Tools store in Missouri,” Hartley said.
The 20,000-square-foot Harbor Freight store will take up about a fifth of the 100,724 square feet previously occupied by Kmart, said a spokeswoman for the building’s owner, R.L. Jones Properties.
The Harbor Freight 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,” Hartley said.
She said the company usually hires 35 to 40 people for a new store.
“We’re currently hiring a number of full- and part-time positions for our new (Twin City Mall) store, including sales and stocking associates, supervisors and managers,” she said. “To apply, visit harborfreightjobs.com.”
Crystal City Ward 2 Councilman Tony Becker said Harbor Freight’s plans to open a store in the city is welcome news.
“I look forward to having them in the community,” Becker said. “I’m glad they’re coming to Crystal City. Obviously, any time we can get a building otherwise vacant to be filled will bring in more tax money for Crystal City.”
Kmart, the longtime tenant of the space, closed its Crystal City store in March 2019 as part of the closure of 80 Sears and Kmart stores at the time. Sears Holdings is the parent company of Kmart and Sears stores.
Harbor Freight Tools’ roots go back to 1977. The company, which is based in Calabasas, Calif., now has more than 1,000 stores nationwide, including one at 1400 Jeffco Blvd., Arnold, according to information Hartley supplied.
