Spokesman Craig Hoffman says the company now has more than 1,300 stores nationwide, including 15 in Iowa and 40 in Illinois, and the newest in Moline.
"So I think ours is about 15,300 square feet and that's going to be smaller than the competition in the so-called big box stores which I don't think I have to name - I think you know who we're talking about. We think that's a real competitive advantage."
The new store has actually been open for two weeks, to give the 30 new employees time to learn their new jobs.
Hoffman says Harbor Freight organizes its tools in three categories - good, better, and best.
"Which means you don't have to pay more for the tools that you need. So if you're a d-i-y-er (do it yourself-er), you can get a tool that will accomplish the job without having to spend what you would need to spend on a model that a pro would use, which we also have at great value."
The family-owned company was founded 45 years ago as a mail order business, then opened one store, and eventually many more.
Harbor Freight Tools already has stores in Davenport, Clinton, Muscatine, Dubuque, Galesburg, and Sterling.
