A major national retailer is set to open a store along this busy West Columbia road

Chris Trainor
·1 min read
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Need some tools to get that renovation completed at the house? You’ll soon have a new place to get them in the Midlands.

Harbor Freight Tools, which has locations nationwide, is prepping a new store in the West Side Plaza shopping center at 2347 Augusta Road in West Columbia. Site prep was ongoing when a reporter rode by recently, and the Harbor Freight website lists the store as “coming soon.”

Harbor Freight has more than 1,500 stores across the U.S., including three dozen locations in South Carolina. Among existing Midlands locations are three spots in Columbia: One on St. Andrews Road, another on Two Notch Road, and one on Garners Ferry Road.

The company carries a plethora of tools and hardware, including power tools; hand tools; air compressors; lawn and garden supplies; automotive tools; painting supplies; welding, plumbing, and electrical gear and more. The company has been in business for nearly five decades.

The Harbor Freight coming to West Columbia will be part of a bustling shopping center near the intersection of Augusta Road and Dreher Road. Major retailers in the center include KJ’s supermarket, a Hobby Lobby, a Mardel book store, MUV Fitness, and more. Other national retailers in the nearby area include Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and Walmart. Harbor Freight is going into a storefront that formerly was a Home Decor Outlet.

The tool store is coming to a high-traffic area just east of Interstate 26. About 38,000 cars per day travel down that section of Augusta Road, per state Department of Transportation statistics.