is IKEA coming to San Antonio or not? (Houston, Dallas: purchasing, tenants)

[Dreadlockd]

CB2 I wish we could get that store here, that way I could save on shipping cost. Great items, lots of offbeat/funky decor. Great Marimekko linens...not so much anymore.

West Elm is cool, I only go there when they have end of the season sales. That way I don't feel like I've been ripped off. I've gotten great deals on 8x10 area rugs, 75 - 125. I wouldn't buy anything full price.

IKEA is like a garage sale, lots of items to sort through, but you can find some real good deals in there. You need a very selective eye when shopping here.

[BenjaminNicholas]

Yes, it was the Rosewood edition, along with matching ottoman. It was expensive, but it's exactly what I was looking for.

Copenhagen's pricing is ridiculous for what they're offering. Some of it, yes, is authorized design, but there are more than a few pieces they have that are overpriced replicas, imported straight from Asia. What irks me most about dealing with them- specifically, their sales people- is that they don't know furniture design that well. They need to better educate their staff.

IMO, C&B would do well NOT to move into The Legacy. They'd be in direct walk-in competition with Motif and the location is just horrible to get to. While it's aesthetically a pleasing looking place, it's just badly located. What I am excited about is that DWR is looking at opening a small store in San Antonio (as in Austin-location small). A friend of mine who managed their old Las Vegas store and is now with them in Manhattan told me about this last night. I hope it pans out.




BN

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by Dreadlockd

... Great Marimekko linens...

Exactly the reason I started shopping at CB2 in the first place!



BN

[ItsTheTruth]

Originally Posted by BenjaminNicholas

Copenhagen's pricing is ridiculous for what they're offering. Some of it, yes, is authorized design, but there are more than a few pieces they have that are overpriced replicas, imported straight from Asia. What irks me most about dealing with them- specifically, their sales people- is that they don't know furniture design that well. They need to better educate their staff.

Like at any store, you have to do your homework. My bed is from Copenhagen and it is made in Italy with real hardwood. Buying anything particleboard at any store is silly.

As for their employees, look at the pool they have to choose from. Does San Antonio have an architecture or real design school? That would be a great source of labor. It just doesn't exist here.

[scuba steve]

IMO you can do well between the three (four if you include IKEA), so long as you do your research and know what you're buying. You can also screw up and wind up with particle board or something overpriced if you don't. Get an idea for what you want online and see in person if the quality lines up. If the DWR in Austin were easier to get to that would be more possible for all three places. Unfortunately I really think they would have a hard time making it work in San Antonio... it'd have to be either a Quarry or 1604/281 thru 1604/10 location.

[Quattro72]

Thanks for all the info. To my original question, I had heard that IKEA was going to be opened Fall of 2010 near I-10 north of 1604 but apparently that is not happening, at least not now. Anyone know why?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by Quattro72

Thanks for all the info. To my original question, I had heard that IKEA was going to be opened Fall of 2010 near I-10 north of 1604 but apparently that is not happening, at least not now. Anyone know why?

It was pointed out here (back in 2008 IIRC) that an early diagram of The Rim shopping center listed IKEA as one of the likely anchor tenants. For some reason that never materialized. Retail spending is down and financing is harder to get than it was in 2008. I imagine both of those are reasons why IKEA didn't expand to SA. In IKEA's case, expansion decisions are made in Sweden, so circumstances there would affect decisions here.

The Rim is not completely built out yet. Maybe there will be an opportunity for IKEA to be the anchor of a future phase?

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by Bowie

...The Rim is not completely built out yet. Maybe there will be an opportunity for IKEA to be the anchor of a future phase?

Based on everything I've heard, The Rim remains in financial turmoil for future development of the 'luxury' division they promised. Here's an older article about the beginning of it, but it seems to continue to this day:

The Rim faces financial woes (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/The_Rim_faces_financial_woes.html - broken link)

From what I can see, they haven't touched construction for nearly a year now and all that's up is the shell of a parking garage. I hope that if they cannot develop it, that they tear down what's there and perhaps turn it into some kind of central park-like feature- Trees, a fountain, walking/bike paths.


BN

[datacity]

Originally Posted by BenjaminNicholas

Based on everything I've heard, The Rim remains in financial turmoil for future development of the 'luxury' division they promised. Here's an older article about the beginning of it, but it seems to continue to this day:

The Rim faces financial woes (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/The_Rim_faces_financial_woes.html - broken link)

From what I can see, they haven't touched construction for nearly a year now and all that's up is the shell of a parking garage. I hope that if they cannot develop it, that they tear down what's there and perhaps turn it into some kind of central park-like feature- Trees, a fountain, walking/bike paths.


BN

Here is an update from yesterday's article...

Rim companies fail to pay again

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by datacity

Here is an update from yesterday's article...

Rim companies fail to pay again

That's a shame. What's worse is the ridiculous comment left on the article, portraying San Antonio as a city that's growing too fast for it's own good. I disagree totally.

SA is a city that's growing, but it's not always growing up- With the severe growth of crap strip malls, hawking the same nail salons, sub sandwich places and day spas, we're moving sideways. What we need is controlled growth, offering San Antonio as a city on the rise to businesses that will offer us something not just for the present, but 20 years from now.

I repeat: We're not a small town anymore. We haven't been for a long, long while. It's time we demand responsible growth rather than what we've been getting.



BN