IKEA's In The House!

Yay!!! I can hardly wait! The excitement is mounting for the opening of IKEA Brooklyn in Red Hook tomorrow June 18 at 9:00 a.m. sharp.

Previously, IKEA was accessible only via a 45-minute car ride to Long Island (most New Yorkers use public transportation). Or via weekend shuttle from the Port Authority in Manhattan to IKEA in Elizabeth, New Jersey. For enterprising (crazy) folks like myself it was often a three-hour round trip excluding shopping time!

New York City isn't known for its big box retail scene due in part to space constraints. WalMart has been spurned several times and only in Summer 2004 did Target make its 'first metropolitan' debut - also in Brooklyn. So this is really big for us!

IKEA Brooklyn can be accessed via car, shuttle, and ferry. The store also boasts an extended shuttle service from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. So unbelievable! Awesome opening day door prizes include FREE sofas for the first 35 customers as well as a host of other goodies.

Just for fun, I thought I'd share my IKEA wishlist should I win the $1000 giveaway I just signed up for. Chances are I will avoid the mad rush tomorrow. But for those of you who will braving the crowds tomorrow, good luck!

Clockwise from top: PS Jonsberg vase; Leran pendant lamp; Ikea Stockholm throw; Alseda stool; Expedit bookcase; Alkov chest; red PS cabinet; Ljusas Ysby lamp.