Harbor Freight

In 1977, Harbor Freight Tools was founded by father-son pair Eric and Allan Smidt. The store was originally a small North Hollywood, California store that provided a mail order way of purchasing discount tools. The store became very popular for its affordable tools, so it gradually expanded to multiple locations. Starting in 1980, Harbor Freight also began opening retail stores. These gave customers an opportunity to browse Harbor Freight products in person. The store further expanded its shopping options when it launched a website in 1997. Since then, Harbor Freight's customer base has grown drastically. The store currently operates over 1,000 retail stores and makes thousands more sales through their online business. They have a broad variety of tools, ranging from lightweight cleaning tools to professional automotive and construction tools.