Ikea To Open Ybor City Store In May

By TBO.COM | Tbo.com
Published: March 05, 2009

» Comments | Post a Comment

TAMPA --

Ikea will open its Ybor City store in May, company officials announced today.

For those who make travel plans based on such things, the 353,000-square-foot store on Adamo Drive will open at 9 a.m. May 6, according to a company news release.

"We are thrilled at the excellent construction progress made in the summer and fall and believe the remaining construction milestones and interior build-up process will be complete by May - much earlier than originally envisioned," said Monica Varela, the Tampa store manager, said in the release. "Now our primary goal is hiring and training the 400 local hires who will be joining the Ikea co-worker family before we open."

Ikea began hiring for the store, which will be the Swedish furniture maker's third in Florida, in January.

The company has developed something of a cult following over the years, and past store openings have drawn hundreds of people. Some even camp out to be among the first to shop at a new Ikea.