Think you know the definition of 'cool'?

Devotees of Tampa's newest retailer swear Ikea is Swedish for "cheap chic."

Critics translate it differently. Try "particle board," they say of its inexpensive and infamously hard-to-assemble furniture.

If you haven't already, you can find out whether you're an Ikea lover or hater come Wednesday, when the Scandinavian retailer unveils its massive 353,000-square-foot store on Adamo Drive.

Tampa is location number 48 of 50 in North America and Florida's third and final Ikea, company spokesman Joseph Roth said. Like the others, this location will offer about 10,000 items, ranging from potholders and folding chairs to kitchen appliances and children's toys. And nothing in an Ikea store can be purchased anywhere else.

"What makes us unique is that our products are only available at Ikea," Roth said.

Ikea's main appeal comes from its consistently modern designs and affordable prices that make it a very, very cool alternative to places such as Wal-Mart. It also helps that there isn't one on every street corner like other low-price retailers, said Judy Harris, associate professor of marketing at Towson University.

"It is still a lifestyle everyone can afford and obtain, but it's still essentially difficult to get," Harris said. "There's an exclusive appeal to it because it's still a trek."

That pilgrimage-worthy adoration people have for Ikea is no joke. Since the first American Ikea opened in the Philadelphia area in 1985, customers have been camping out for grand openings and renting U-Hauls to decorate their apartments just like the room models featured in each Ikea store.

Having just three locations in Florida - the others are in Orlando and Sunrise - does add to Ikea's exclusive cachet, Roth said. More importantly, it reflects the company's frugal business model, which locates stores based on the ability to attract a minimum of 2 million customers.

Roth said the first American Ikea customers were likely young, mobile urbanites, but the retailer's expansion to places such as Tampa shows confidence that it now appeals to shoppers in a broad range of ages and economic brackets.

Known at first for its Scandinavian design and bright colors, Ikea has broadened its inventory to reflect that broader appeal, Roth said. Today, Ikea features a children's department, darker woods, more traditional American designs and even muted browns and blacks.

"It's cool. But it's not so cool that it's not for anyone," he said.

That frugality is also behind some of Ikea's most talked-about drawbacks: cheap materials and the need for customers to assemble their purchases.

Every Ikea product is designed, produced and distributed in-house - and the process starts with a target price. For example: The company wants a new lamp, priced at $9.99. Designers are responsible for making sure that the materials, production, packaging, shipping and profit combined can meet that price.

The result is that shoppers need to be prepared for cheaper materials in some products. Wooden spoons, sold for 99 cents, may be made of a balsa-style wood. Longer-lasting, bamboo versions of the same tools may sell for $2.99 at Target. An olive wood "tasting spoon" sold with a matching spoon rest will cost you $34.95 at Williams-Sonoma.

Ikea also keeps prices down by packing its furniture in pieces and storing it all in a massive warehouse on the first floor. Inside those flat boxes come wordless, illustrated assembly instructions - an enormous source of frustration for some customers.

Ikea operates in 36 countries, so it's cheaper to avoid the language barrier by illustrating the instructions. And as Ikea adds almost a dozen stores worldwide each year, these quirky, frugal business methods don't seem to need changing.

Discount retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart clearly have been influenced not only by Ikea's look, but also by its business model, Harris said. That's a plus for the Swedish retailer, she said, as the bigger stores spread the bright, modern style of Ikea to a new crop of potential customers.

Stores such as Target also are selling more home products unassembled, making the do-it-yourself approach more acceptable, she said.

Harris, who lives in Maryland near an older Ikea location, said the novelty of Ikea coming to Tampa will subside. But she expects it will continue to be popular and retain its appeal as a place to go for milestone shopping trips: heading to college, first apartment, a child's new bedroom, she said.

"It's simple and kind of elegant at the same time," she said. "And it's still cool."

Reporter Mary Shedden can be reached at (813) 259-7365.