Harbor Freight Opening a New Store in Oxford, Maine, in the Former Flagship Cinema

When the Oxford Shopping Plaza was built in the 1970s, it was where most Oxford Hills residents did their shopping. It was anchored by Ames Department Store on one end and Smith's Shop 'n Save on the other. It also was home to a Welby Drug Store, Hobbe's Clothing, and the Ocean Pearl Chinese restaurant, which is still in the Oxford Plaza today.

Over the years, Ames closed and was replaced by Ocean State Job Lot. Smith's Shop 'n Save was bought by Hannaford and built a new supermarket across the street. Part of the former Shop 'n Save is Daddy O's restaurant, where the liquor aisle used to be. From 1997 to 2014, the other part of the old Shop n' Save was a Flagship Cinema.

According to the Sun Journal, the space is now going to become Harbor Freight, a tool and equipment retailer with 1,500 locations in the United States. There are currently eight locations in Maine, mostly in the southern part of the state. The Oxford store will become the ninth. Construction has begun, and the remnants of Flagship Cinema are becoming a thing of the past.

Harbor Freight will bring some much-needed jobs to the Oxford Hills, with plans to hire 25 to 30 employees. No exact opening date has been announced at this time, but Harbor Freight told the Sun Journal that they are expecting to have construction completed and the store open by the end of spring. We're so close!