IKEA

[CaseyCornett]

So, was this entire thread just gossip? It was started five years ago and I'm disappointed there isn't one here.

[Kerry]

IKEA furniture is made for small living areas - when OKC gets more small living areas then an IKEA or similar store will open. As long as the average apartment size is north of 700 sq feet there will not be an IKEA. Although, with some of the new urban apartments coming on-line soon their might be a market developing for someone to open a downtown urban furniture store.

[metro]

Maybe your dad can help lure one here, I'm sure he has some pull with the CoC. And if Norick can get Bass Pro, maybe your dad can lure IKEA, which is much better IMO

[Kerry]

Metro - you don't buy IKEA furniture to furnish a 1000 sq foot apartment. You go to IKEA to furnish a 500 sq foot box that has one window. There would be little to no demand in OKC in which to support a store the size of IKEA.

[okclee]

Hey, Mayor Mick got the NBA here too, luring an IKEA should be easy in comparison.

Perfect location, replace Bass Pro with the IKEA. Make sure they leave the big fish tank though.

[Kerry]

Hey, Mayor Mick got the NBA here too, luring an IKEA should be easy in comparison.

Perfect location, replace Bass Pro with the IKEA. Make sure they leave the big fish tank though.

Yes, but OKC had basketball fans. What OKC doesn't have is a sufficient number of people living in 500 sq foot apartments.

[Bailey80]

Metro - you don't buy IKEA furniture to furnish a 1000 sq foot apartment. You go to IKEA to furnish a 500 sq foot box that has one window. There would be little to no demand in OKC in which to support a store the size of IKEA.

I disagree that there is no market here for IKEA. People would drive for hours to shop there if they would build one in OKC, as they do to the one in Dallas. IKEA has all kinds of wonderful, inexpensive toys and furniture for kid's rooms. They also have a lot of stuff that I think is geared toward people in their 20s moving out on their own for the first time, who don't have a lot of money to spend, but all of it has a much wider appeal as well. I lived in Germany and Southern California, where IKEA is huge and everybody shops there. It's like the Wal-Mart of home furnishing in many places.

[metro]

Metro - you don't buy IKEA furniture to furnish a 1000 sq foot apartment. You go to IKEA to furnish a 500 sq foot box that has one window. There would be little to no demand in OKC in which to support a store the size of IKEA.

I totally disagree. I have a 1000 sq foot condo in MidTown furnished by mostly IKEA, mainly because of the STYLE, not size of my place. I have a very modern place and happen to like modern furniture. OKC really has no modern furniture stores except Suburban, and I can't afford a $5000 bed or $4000 couch. On top of that, their selection is narrow, IKEA is the Mathis Brothers and Target of modern furniture and accessories.

I'd also like to add I have friends in the burbs with houses furnished by IKEA, and know plenty of people from OKC that make regular runs to the one in Frisco.

[TStheThird]

Likewise, I live in a 1400 sq ft historic duplex in Heritage Hills and over half of our furniture is from IKEA. IKEA has lot more to do with price point than size of living space.

[Kerry]

So why do you guys think there is no IKEA store in OKC yet?

[CuatrodeMayo]

Probably a myriad of reasons. Our relatively small population certainly has something to do with it. But not because we don't have enough small apartments.

[betts]

I have an IKEA kitchen table in my 3500 square foot townhouse. It's one of my favorite pieces of furniture. I would love to do my son's room in IKEA, and I would use their accessories anywhere.

IKEA probably thinks we're not cool enough for them. But, if they're like other stores, they keep track of zip codes that order from them so maybe we're not doing our part.

[redrunner]

I also strongly disagree with Kerry. I live in a 1400 sf house and have many pieces of furniture from Ikea in my bedroom and living room. They're not just a furniture store. They sell a great deal of textiles and bedding, kitchen accessories, art and lighting. Like Metro I shop at Ikea because of their modern style and not because my living arrangement forces me to.

[okclee]

Yes, but OKC had basketball fans.

That's not what was initially being told to Mayor Mick and the people of Okc.

So why do you guys think there is no IKEA store in OKC yet?

Same reason it took Okc to finally have it's own Whole Foods, Okc struggles to attract major retail you know that. Conversely there are only 20 states in the U.S. that have an Ikea store, also there are only 23 states that have an NBA team too.

I do like the idea of Okc offering up the Bass Pro building to be converted over as an Ikea. At the very lease Okc could offer up some of Bass Pro parking lot to build a new Ikea store.

[metro]

Kerry, on top of that scroll back a few pages, the listed some criteria. They usually like a metro of 2 million or more, so right there that excludes us. Several of us have been told unofficially from the Frisco store that we're on the 3 year waiting list. Take it with a grain of salt. I am however confident OKC could support one.

[Kerry]

For the record - I am not knocking IKEA. I have been to their Atlanta store several times and have purchased several items from there. My wife loves the place. However, if IKEA comes to OKC I would not want it in the Bass Pro building. I would prefer the Bass Pro building to be torn down. I would like to see them move into the top 4 floors of the Spaghetti Warehouse or the Bricktown Mercantile buildings. Even renovate the old Auto-Hotel as an IKEA would be cool.

[Thunder]

For the record - I am not knocking IKEA. I have been to their Atlanta store several times and have purchased several items from there. My wife loves the place. However, if IKEA comes to OKC I would not want it in the Bass Pro building. I would prefer the Bass Pro building to be torn down. I would like to see them move into the top 4 floors of the Spaghetti Warehouse or the Bricktown Mercantile buildings. Even renovate the old Auto-Hotel as an IKEA would be cool.

What is your problem with Bass Pro and the building?!

[Bunty]

What is your problem with Bass Pro and the building?!

He surely thinks an outdoor merchandise store like Bass Pro is highly inapporpriate for its urban location. Also the building looks too country or rural. But I reckon Bass Pro strongly disagrees to that feeling.

[krisb]

IKEA stores are big box retail generally located in the suburbs. So I don't think Bricktown would be a good fit....there's just not enough room. Have you seen how big their warehouses/showrooms/food courts are? Also, I don't think "shabby chic" is a good description of IKEA furniture. IKEA represents "scandinavian design". With regard to the price issue, an abiding principle of good design is affordability.

[Kerry]

What is your problem with Bass Pro and the building?!

I have nothing against Bass Pro. They seem to be a quality retailer. My problem is the suburban building and big surface parking lot in the middle of what should be a true urban development.

[bluedogok]

So why do you guys think there is no IKEA store in OKC yet?

Denver is finally getting their own store in Centennial, it is opening in Fall 2011. That is the first store in the "middle of the country" between Chicago/Minneapolis and Northern California/Pacific Northwest. The Texas stores (Houston/Frisco/Round Rock) and Phoenix were the only ones between Atlanta and Southern California.

For the record - I am not knocking IKEA. I have been to their Atlanta store several times and have purchased several items from there. My wife loves the place. However, if IKEA comes to OKC I would not want it in the Bass Pro building. I would prefer the Bass Pro building to be torn down. I would like to see them move into the top 4 floors of the Spaghetti Warehouse or the Bricktown Mercantile buildings. Even renovate the old Auto-Hotel as an IKEA would be cool.

There isn't enough room in Bricktown for Ikea, in any current building, an out-of-the-ground tilt-wall building is pretty much all they are in. Houston was the first one in Texas and is 200,000 SF, Frisco is 312,000 SF and the Round Rock store is about 260,000 SF. If one was built, I would imagine it would be out by the new outlet mall (the Round Rock location is next to the Round Rock Premium Outlets), in the University Park area in Norman or maybe Kilpatrick/Memorial and Western. I could see Edmond or Norman offering an incentive, that is why the one here in Austin is in the Round Rock area.

[AFwife04]

Now personally, I'm still going to be dancing a jig if Ikea came here. The food products are some tastey stuff and the kitchen stuff is neat too.

When we lived in Germany there were 2 Ikeas that were a 45 min drive from our house. Sometimes we would go just to walk around and eat in the cafe. I would LOVE to have an Ikea here.

[redrunner]

Denver is finally getting their own store in Centennial, it is opening in Fall 2011.

I was wondering why their map showed a huge void in the middle of the county and no location in Denver. But now I see they are opening one in Centennial.

I just don't see IKEA considering OKC for a new location since we are close enough to Frisco to be part of the regional draw that they like to have. There's plenty of land in Edmond along I-35 for them or developers to provide incentives to IKEA but would probably do better closer to Norman. I prefer the Frisco location over Round Rock but I definitely need to make a stop when I take a few days of vacation in Austin later this month.

[Thunder]

I have nothing against Bass Pro. They seem to be a quality retailer. My problem is the suburban building and big surface parking lot in the middle of what should be a true urban development.

I don't know what make a building suburban and urban.... A building is just a building. This one is a nice building and a nice fit where its at. As for the parking lot, its a great addition for those wanting to park when other parking lots is full during major events. :-)

[Kerry]

I don't know what make a building suburban and urban.... A building is just a building. This one is a nice building and a nice fit where its at. As for the parking lot, its a great addition for those wanting to park when other parking lots is full during major events. :-)

Go to the library (or bookstore) and pick up a copy of 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School and turn to page 7.

Let me quote: Suburban buildings are freestanding objects in space. Urban buildings are shapers of space.

Bass Pro is a free standing building in space. The buildings around SandRidge used to be a shaper of space, now the tower is a freestanding building in space. Hope that helps a little.