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The challenge with that location is, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Eastern NC are not classic IKEA markets. Young families/professionals, college students and folks in transition are. More urban areas would tend to attract them.
My assumption of the 40/85 corridor is due to the much higher vehicular traffic, proximity to the Triad, and close to UNC, NC State and Duke. Essentially, pick up the Triangle plus all the through traffic on I-85, which is a significant N/S corridor.
I just can't imagine the ENC market being attractive to IKEA. Not that I don't think it will be some years before they come here, mind you.
~Half of the Triangle CSA population is in Wake County and it continues to add greater numbers than the rest of the Triangle. It makes zero sense to locate an Ikea north and/or west of Durham. Certainly west of Durham is more convenient to the GSO/W-S but the Triad already has Ikea on their side of Charlotte which allows them access without having to traverse through Metrolina. Beyond Durham, there's very little up I-85 to create demand for a store. Once one gets to any sort of real civilization in the Richmond area, they are already served by Ikea in Woodbridge/Dale City.
On the other hand, I-40 southeast of Raleigh creates a market that Ikea already doesn't reach. Say what one wants but inexpensive furnishings will appeal to military families in Fayetteville, the growing Wilmington area and all the mid sized cities down east.
If this future decision was only about the Triangle, the best location would be Morrisville. In fact, that old outlet mall location is probably the best location to locate centrally to the population of the Triangle. However, I just don't see Ikea making that sort of decision. because they will want to expand their market reach.
I don't know their official criteria, but I think we're large enough already when you consider the metro area. Bring them on! I would shop at IKEA a lot more if there was one closer.
Meatballs anyone?
Mmmmmm.... Horse meat.
Personally I could live without Ikea. It's a cool store to pick up some small things, but I wouldn't shop there too much if it were closer. I used to live 40 minutes from one, and only went there once every year or so. I could see them building one in the area though. We have sufficient population.
Some great points have been pointed out already, however, Alamance County should be included in Triangle population figures for purposes of a being in the same shopping market.
Sure, if an IKEA was on the SW or NW side of the Triangle I think the Alamance folks and many of the Triad folks might go there instead of to the Charlotte one. If the Triangle IKEA was on the SE side (near Clayton, Benson, Smithfield, etc), I don't know — might be a toss up. I have a friend in Alamance Co who refuses to drive further east than Chapel Hill. She does most of her shopping in the Triad and points west and will go into CH and Carrboro for activities, but no further.
Doesn't make any sense to stick one right between two current Ikea stores, which is what the I-85/I-40 corridor does. Moot point anyways, as it's not planned, and likely to never happen.
But if it were, Morrisville, near the old outlet mall, would be a major boost to renovating the shopping in that area.
IMO, the Prime Outlets site in Morrisville would be the perfect spot for Ikea in the triangle. Ignoring about one hour of crummy traffic on I-40 each afternoon, it's smack in the middle of the region and easily accessible by freeway from all corners of the Triangle. The parcel is exactly the right size (same as Charlotte's Ikea: 25 acres.) No doubt its zoning wouldn't need to change at all. The mall's owners are already actively coming up with a plan for what to do with it.
If Ikea had any interest at all in coming to the Triangle right now, this is probably where they would wind up.
Oh, But I like saving Ikea as a biannual destination. If it were nearby, it just wouldn't be the same! my parents live near IKEA in Northern Va...and promising my kids a trip to IKEA is the only way I can get my kids to visit their grandfolk. We have lunch (sorry, those meatballs are NOT horsemeat), stock up on Swedish goodies just like great grandma used to make, buy something I've been eyeing in the catalog for a long time, and pick up some inexpensive decorative items.
I agree, though, that Morrisville location would be good....
IMO, the Prime Outlets site in Morrisville would be the perfect spot for Ikea in the triangle. Ignoring about one hour of crummy traffic on I-40 each afternoon, it's smack in the middle of the region and easily accessible by freeway from all corners of the Triangle. The parcel is exactly the right size (same as Charlotte's Ikea: 25 acres.) No doubt its zoning wouldn't need to change at all. The mall's owners are already actively coming up with a plan for what to do with it.
If Ikea had any interest at all in coming to the Triangle right now, this is probably where they would wind up.
Agreed, totally.
But, could the parking there handle a cult store traffic flow?
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Why the heck are we here? Fios?
