Harbor Freight Tools is expected to open a second Cedar Rapids location soon in the former Bed Bath & Beyond building at 4840 First Ave. NE.
Cedar Rapids assessor records indicate three building permits have been issued for signage at the former Bed Bath & Beyond location, with the wording “Harbor Freight, Quality Tools, Lowest Prices.”
The permits don’t indicate when the new Harbor Freight store might open.
Craig Hoffman, director of corporate communications for Harbor Freight, confirmed that the company was “actively looking to open a new location in Cedar Rapids,” but that a lease for the Bed Bath and Beyond site hasn’t yet been signed.
Bed Bath & Beyond announced plans to close its Cedar Rapids store in February 2023, along with stores in Davenport and Sioux City, as part of the company’s plans to close 150 stores nationwide. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2023 and subsequently closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores nationwide.
Harbor Freight Tools, meanwhile, has been growing steadily in recent years. The company announced more than 170 new store openings in 2023 and “is currently considering hundreds of new locations across the U.S.,” according to the company’s website.
Harbor Freight’s first Cedar Rapids store, at the former Target site at 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, opened in 2007, and the company opened a location in the former Paul’s Discount Store on Highway 1 West in Iowa City in February 2019.
Harbor Freight Tools, a discount tool retailer, has more than 1,000 locations in 48 states. The company, headquartered in Calabasas, California, was founded in 1977. It sells many tools, accessories, and numerous other products under in-house brands sourced directly from manufacturers.
