"Wow," I said after tromping to the end of the line during yesterday's
Ikea opening. "How many people do you think are already here?"
It was 8:30 a.m.
"I'd guess about 3,000 ... 4,000 ...." an official-looking guy with an
Ikea badge said before his voiced trailed off as he stared at all the
people.
My head had expected a line, but my heart was broken when I finally saw
it. Hoping to be in time for the flag-raising and Swedish log-cutting
ceremonies at 9, I'd arrived at what seemed an awfully early hour. But
there was nothing to see in a crowd that wended its way around the
310,000-square-foot building. (That's 221 times larger than my house.)
Inside, I followed the herd up the elevator to the showrooms. And
immediately went to the cafeteria. Screw furniture. I was hungry.
The menu was limited, but pretty impressive – shrimp sandwiches, baked
salmon, Swedish meatballs, and – of course – the much-hyped 99-cent
breakfast. I opted for that, along with a huge slice of apple cake.
Fortified, I was ready to brave the hordes.
Some of the showroom's coolest things are the mock apartments. The
"Living in 377 Square Feet" arrangement was gorgeous, but there were too
many people in there. One thing you should not do when you are living in
377 square feet is throw a large party.
These people were here for Serious Shopping. They were kneeling at the
foot of furniture displays, not to worship, but to jot down item numbers
for pick-up. Like the one for a $99 bed frame.
Holy crap! A bed for $99! I wonder if it would fit in my back seat?
Wait ... I already have a bed frame. A very nice bed frame that we need
to pay off in the next 10 months to avoid interest charges. Maybe Ikea's
got something here with this whole "cheap" thing. Sob.
Suddenly, I was feeling hot and a little closed in, so I asked an
employee where the exit was. "Just make two lefts," she said. Five
minutes later, I still hadn't come across the first left. This place is
bigger than the human mind has the power to comprehend.
Finally, I got out of there, empty-handed but with a running list of
things I needed to go back and get.
And next time, I'm trying that almond torte instead of apple cake.
LARA SOLT/DMN
Jarell Wilson and his friend were a little disappointed with the
opening. "We thought it was going to be more of a party."
'YOU MEAN THAT'S IT? IT'S JUST, LIKE ... FURNITURE?'
Down in the marketplace area, where rugs and pillows and dishes are
available for, like 50 cents, I spotted a couple of guys. Guys with no
shirts. Guys whose torsos and faces were painted Ikea's signature blue
and yellow. I approached the blue guy. Mike Mortensen, a 19-year-old
student at Collin County Community College, was there with his friend
Jarell Wilson. Mortensen and his friend were a little disappointed with
the opening. "We thought it was going to be more of a party."
