Attention Ikea shoppers, the countdown has reached the one-week mark.
In a short six days, the Swedish retailer will open its first Tampa location, a goliath 353,000-square-foot store with more than 10,000 different items of budget-minded, but stylishly designed home goods.
Wedged onto a 29-acre spot along Adamo Drive and 22nd Street, the stark royal blue and canary yellow store officially opens 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
To rattle to attention anyone who didn't already know, store managers staged a preview day for Tampa Bay area media to show off:
•49 simulated room settings
•3 model home interiors
•A supervised children's play area
•A 350-seat restaurant serving Swedish items such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon.
"I just love the store, the uniqueness of the items," said Kelly Hickman, a Tampa marketing specialist who started the IKEA Tampa blog to track all things related to the store opening. "Usually, I'd have to go to the one in Orlando, so me and some friends would make a day trip of it. I just can't wait for it to open here."
For those unfamiliar with Ikea, picture a modernist store that packs together a Target (minus the clothes), Rooms To Go and Williams Sonoma. Ikea stores simulate whole-room environments with furniture and accessories. Everything from a $3.99 nonstick spatula to $4,000 kitchens, complete with cabinets and islands.
But beware, if the Tampa location opening is anything like Orlando's in November 2007, expect a frenzy. Shoppers camped out for days in advance of the opening in Orlando.
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